Question

An SUV crashes into a wall. The mass of the vehicle is 2,150 kg and the crumple zone rigidity is 342 kN. Assuming the safety cell is perfectly rigid, what will be the acceleration of the SUV during a crash as the crumple zone is collapsing?

Answer 1

159 m/s²

Step-by-step explanation:

You want the acceleration of a 2150 kg SUV as it crashes into a wall, given the crumple zone rigidity is 342 kN and the safety cell is perfectly rigid.

Rigidity

The crumple zone rigidity is specified in terms of the amount of force it takes to cause the zone to crumple. This is the force that will be applied by the wall to the crashing vehicle. The acceleration is given by ...

a = F/m

a = (342,000 N)/(2150 kg) = 159 m/s²

The SUV is decelerated at 159 m/s² during the crash.

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Additional comment

This is about 16 times the acceleration due to gravity, a value that tends to be near the limit of human tolerance.

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