CRASH CAR
OBJECTIVE
Design and build a paper car to withstand a high speed frontal impact. Your car
must protect its passenger, 1 raw egg. You will be building 2 cars: a prototype to
test your design with a plastic egg, and a final car to protect the real egg.
MATERIALS
Three sheets of 8 2 by 11 paper
Elmer=s glue
one rubber band (for a seat belt)
wheels (4) and axles (2)
DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
Car length 8 to 12 inches
Car width 2 to 4 inches
Car height 1 2 to 5 inches
The egg should be no more than 1 inch away from the center of the car
LEGAL FEATURES
Bumpers, roll-bars, air bags, crush-zones, break-away parts, laminations, form
fitting seats, seat belts.
ILLEGAL FEATURES
Brakes of any kind (planned or unplanned), parachutes, air scoops, foreign
objects such as cotton stuffing or tissues, extra wheels, wings, crumpled paper
(all parts of the car should be folded), or tape.
KEY TERMS
Connecting tabs: Like tape only made from paper and glue.
Crush zone: Impact absorbing area of car intentionally-designed to
collapse at a controlled rate.
Lamination: The layering of several pieces for strength.
Prototype: An experimental or practice version
KEYS TO SUCCESS
Don't worry that your car only looks like a box on wheels. Successful cars will
have these 3 features;
1.
A good seat with a seatbelt for the egg,
2.
A rigid passenger area in which the seat is anchored,
3.
Some type of crush zone in the front of the car.
It is possible to overbuild your car letting 100% of the shock be transmitted to the egg. The
prototype car is most helpful in determining what works and what doesn=t work.
GRADING FOR CRASH
CAR
Prototype
20 points
Practice cars only must be capable of being tested
Final Car
Conforms to specs, including roll check (NO brakes)
5
points
Neat construction, using folding and tabs
5 points
Design that uses 2 or more legal features
5 points
On time/good use of class time
15 points
Crash
Unscathed
Slight dent or crack
Oozing crack of dent
Egg ejected from car
Smashed egg with yolk showing
20 points
15 points
10 points
5 points
0 points
Bonus
For second prototype
Each additional prototype