Fundamentals of Unibody Construction - Collision Angle and Damage

1.	Collision Angle and Damage

Collisions can be categorized into two types depending on direction of impact. One is the centripetal-force, or a collision toward the vehicle’s center of gravity. The other is a tangential-force collision directed off the center of gravity. They result in different degrees of damage.

Centripetal Collision

Causes serious damage because the horizontal movement of the vehicle is constrained during the collision.

Tangential Collision

Causes relatively light damage because the vehicles move when impacted and each absorbs some of the energy.