Re: Forward opening hoods

[ScharfR@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-10-22 02:18:43 EDT, e6941tb@ix.netcom.com writes:

<< For what it's worth, I heard that in a frontal collision the forward
opening 
 hoods lift up and sheer the passenger's heads off, that's why they are
almost 
 non-existant these days. Might be one of those horror hoaxes, tho. >>

Legends die hard.

Take a look under the hood of any car made in the last few decades (caveat:
applies to those designed to meet regulations for sale in the U.S. although I
presume that most responsible manufacturers build to a worldwide standard in
this regard).

You should see a pair of downstanding, rear-facing hooks at the rear edge of
the hood, nearest the base of the windshield.  You will probably also see a
couple of stamped-in dimples on the underside of the hood, about halfway
along its length.  These act as "fold propagators." In a serious frontal
collision, the hooks engage with slots or retainers at the firewall or
thereabouts, to prevent just the type of lopping-off you speak of.  The
dimples serve to initiate the folding or buckling of the hood as the front
end is pushed rearwards in the crash.  That's why, if you examine most
wrecks, you will see a very characteristic upward buckle of the hood; it's
trapped at the rear, pushed from the front and folded in the middle.