99% of people don't know why car bumpers are made of plastic?

Some riders think that the soft bumper lacks protection ability, which affects the safety performance of the whole vehicle. There are also some riders who are obsessed with whether the bumper is strong or not, and they are a little "careful" about the material to be used.

Let’s talk about those things about car bumpers today, hoping to help you understand bumpers.

●What kind of material is used for common car bumpers?

In fact, the front and rear bumpers of cars in the earlier period were mainly made of metal materials. They were generally stamped from steel plates and riveted or welded with the frame rails. However, for a variety of reasons, in the end automakers found a better alternative - plastic bumpers. And it was Fiat who used plastic bumpers for the first time. Since then, this money-saving solution has been quickly followed by major car companies.

●The plastic bumper is not because of cutting corners

In daily life, we often hear various complaints from car enthusiasts about car bumpers. Many people think that the plastic bumpers used in Japanese cars are not strong enough, and they are suspected of cutting corners. So why is the bumper made of plastic? In fact, there are many reasons, but today we will not delve into things that are too esoteric, but only start with a few relatively simple reasons.

●Why do car manufacturers adopt plastic bumpers one after another?

①It can control the manufacturing cost and facilitate the design and production

Automobile production has been molded. In addition to the high-strength materials used for the body, many parts will be made of engineering plastics as much as possible. The front and rear bumpers of automobiles are typical representatives, and the exterior parts of the body, such as fenders, may also use lightweight materials such as plastics.

Plastic bumpers can not only save manufacturing costs, but also have lower requirements for industrial levels and are easier to produce. Therefore, after the cost of car manufacturing is controlled, the price of the final product to consumers will be more reasonable, which must be corresponding.

Of course, in addition to plastic bumpers, some top sports cars will also use a large number of carbon fiber materials. In fact, the purpose is very simple, mainly to create a lightweight body, so as to improve the acceleration and braking effect of the vehicle.

②Plastic bumper absorbs energy to ensure pedestrian safety as much as possible

After all, the rigidity of a car is not borne by the bumper, but mainly depends on the body frame structure, so in addition to design and manufacturing costs, plastic insurance can also play a role in protecting pedestrians.

Due to the material, plastic bumpers are more elastic and absorb impact better than metal. So we can often see pictures of bicycles crashing into bumpers on the Internet. If you think about it carefully, if you replace it with a metal bumper, then the tragedy is likely to be pedestrians and bicycles.

③The plastic bumper has elasticity to avoid small bumps

If there is a slight collision or scratch, the plastic bumper has good elasticity and has a certain impact resistance, that is to say, if there is a small bump, the plastic bumper can automatically rebound and repair . Even if the paint is peeled off, it is better than dented. After all, painting is much cheaper than sheet metal repair.

In addition, in some densely populated countries in Europe, there are a lot of cars, and parking spaces are naturally very scarce. Car owners often have to put their cars close together. At this time, the plastic bumper plays a key role. If your car cannot squeeze into a narrow parking space, you can gently push the vehicle in front or behind at a low speed, so that you can "push" the parking position you need up.

Especially on the crowded streets of London, it is natural to stop without the handbrake, which is also for the convenience of others to park. If one day you find someone parking "scratches" your bumper, please don't make a fuss, this is exactly the "hidden rule" we mentioned earlier. Of course, this mostly means that the bumpers of cheap models, such as Lamborghini, Veyron, and Rolls-Royce, must not do this, because they are generally made of carbon fiber, and the maintenance cost of body scratches will not be very low.

④Plastic bumper has better anti-corrosion effect

For the car body, we all know that metal is easy to rust when it meets water and air, which not only affects the appearance, but also has certain safety hazards. But although car bumpers are relatively easy to bump parts in daily driving, plastics have good corrosion resistance, so we don't need to worry about it.