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1) Is it possible to design side doors on cars that can survive high speed impact (say over 30 mph)?
2) Assuming #1 is yes, what would happen if another car hits such "indestructible" doors on another car? Will that driver be instantly killed? Would such doors ever be allowed? (Since anything that hits your door at high speeds might be instantly destroyed while leaving you unscathed, in theory.)
1) Is it possible to design side doors on cars that can survive high speed impact (say over 30 mph)?
2) Assuming #1 is yes, what would happen if another car hits such "indestructible" doors on another car? Will that driver be instantly killed? Would such doors ever be allowed? (Since anything that hits your door at high speeds might be instantly destroyed while leaving you unscathed, in theory.)
They do that today. I was hit on my side door not sure how fast the car was going but I was going about 30 and I was not injured at all.
It's usually not the crash that kills you but the impact and that is going to apply to both drivers, the average person is going to die in 70MPH crash that is head on into a wall no matter what the car is made of. That's why air bags save lives, they decelerate you slowly instead instantly. A NASCAR car is about as robust as it gets and a driver driving at 200 MPH that flips his car on the straightaway 20 times usually walks away with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises. Hitting a wall head-on is another matter.
If you're unfamiliar with NASCAR this is the Dale Earnhardt crash he died in, they are traveling at about 190 MPH. Fast Forward to the 3:30 mark, doesn't look that bad at all but you can tell the announcers are concerned because they know he hit the wall straight on. This type of race at both Daytona and Talladega where those speeds are normal often have spectacular crashes but generally no one gets hurt becsue they end up sliding and flipping for 1/2 a mile without hitting anything but other cars that are also traveling at the same speed they are.
2) Assuming #1 is yes, what would happen if another car hits such "indestructible" doors on another car? Will that driver be instantly killed? Would such doors ever be allowed? (Since anything that hits your door at high speeds might be instantly destroyed while leaving you unscathed, in theory.)
Have there been any crashes between armored trucks and regular cars? I have no idea if they're considered indestructible in the way that you're thinking, though.
If Car A is the one with reinforced doors and Car B is a standard car today, then to Car B, Car A is like a wall.
If Car B crashes head first into the side of Car A, or "TBone", Car B's front end will crumple, much like any other crash.
Car A will of course feel the impact. At 30 MPH and if air bags deployed, Car A should be fine, although he may be hurt more by any shock or vibration than anything else. Kinda like hitting a gong with a hammer.
One issue to look into though if you want to reinforce the door is also reinforcing the cabin area to hold the door from being pushed in all the way. Because if the door stays flat and the cabin is weak, an impact may just push the door in and flattening the driver or passenger.
What if both vehicles are "indestructible" where is the energy from the crash going? THAT is why modern vehicles have crumple zones ... which would you rather have >>> an accident where both vehicles have minor damage but all passengers leave in an ambulance or the coroner's wagon OR both vehciles are heavily damaged but all parties walk away?
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