Every year the number of accidents and related fatalities seems to be rising at a considerable rate. Germany alone accounts for more than 200,000 car accidents each year. This is a main cause of concern not only with the people on the road and but also with the auto manufacturers.
The auto manufacturers spend a whole lot of time and money to provide more protection to the passengers and drivers of vehicles. And making some improvements in the design, the steel used in production is also of strict importance.
In a car crash, the steel must be a mishmash of two diverse characters; first of all it should possess high level of elasticity, enough to take up the utmost energy coming out of the collision and on the other hand it should be sufficiently shape stable to give a cover to the passengers in the cabin.
Max Planck Institute for Iron Research GmbH Dusseldorf Germany along with German Steel Institute have worked together and come up with a new steel type fulfilling the above requirements.
This new breed will be termed TWIP-Steel (twinning induced plasticity) and in the event of a crash this steel deforms but with a forming capability.
With each of its part elongating and then getting strengthened passes on the remaining deformation energy to its surroundings which again follow the same process.
By applying this simple but exceptional recipe the impact is transferred to the whole surface thus absorbing the whole force of the collision and helping the passengers to stay safe.
In the coming time, we can expect the TWIP steel to be built-in into bumpers and side doors, being the most affected parts at the time of crash. Surely this improved mode of steel will help saving many lives in the future.
[Via: PHYSORG]
