What is a car bumper, its meaning
Content
The main task of the rear bumper is to protect the optics during a collision and reduce the cost of subsequent repairs, take on most of the impact and, if possible, prevent injury to the driver and passengers.
Modern automobile traffic at high speeds requires the presence of special protective devices on the car. The bumper on the car is a structural element, the main function of which is to increase the safety of passengers and minimize the risk of damage to the car when it collides with an obstacle. The bumper, which is located at the front of the car, is called the front, completing the look of the car and located on the back - the rear.
What is a bumper and why is it called that
The name comes from the English word bumper, meaning to hit, collide, it perfectly conveys the essence of the purpose and application of this part. The bumper of the car, if you look under a layer of paintwork and various decorating canopies, is a rigid beam made of strong composite materials.
Bumper
In a collision with an obstacle or another vehicle, the beam takes the brunt of the impact and softens, dampens the kinetic energy that occurs at the moment of contact.
Protective beams were installed on Packard machines as an additional option in the twenties of the last century. The first serial bumper was a U-shaped metal structure and was installed in 1930 on a Ford Model A car by order of Henry Ford himself, the creator of the famous automobile empire.
Main purpose
A modern bumper on a car is the protection of a passenger car body in case of small collisions on the roadway and obstacles outside the roadway.
In modern automotive industry, a protective device, in addition to its main purpose, solves other associated tasks:
- Creating a harmonious external image of a modern car, maintaining a single body design style.
- Improved aerodynamic properties with bent spoiler edges.
Parking devices are installed on the protective beams - parking sensors that help the driver avoid a collision when parking the car. A modern car bumper is not only protection of the body from light damage, but also a panel that carries light warning elements.
The evolution of the "protective beam"
Over its almost century-old history, the protective structure has changed hundreds of times, losing some options and acquiring new ones.
Thin steel strips with springy brackets and lintels gradually replaced solid cast metal beams that can withstand a crushing blow, the weight of the car bumper increased. The emphasis in such designs was not on springy properties, but on the absorption of energy by crushing the metal.
By the middle of the last century, protective elements acquired roundings that go into the sidewalls of the car, and aprons that protect the body from dirt sticking. Some models, such as the 1942 Lincoln Continental, were equipped with a wraparound bumper.
Gradually, repeaters of direction indicators migrated to the design of the protective beam, and fog lights appeared in American models.
What is a modern bumper made of?
Further development of the automotive industry and scientific progress has led to the complication of the shape of the "protective beam" and the use of composite materials as its basis. In the modern world, the following materials are used to make a bumper for a car:
- carbon fiber;
- fiberglass;
- metal;
- polypropylene or polyurethane.
A modern bumper on a car is not only a functional part, but also an ornament that meets the requirements of car design. Looking through the Internet photos of car bumpers, you can choose the best option for your own car. A variety of colors - the product can be painted in body color, contrasting or covered with chrome.
Functional tasks of the front bumper
A front-mounted bumper on a car is a protection of the main units in a road accident, minimizing the risk of injury to the driver and passengers, as well as an effective tool for giving the car a unique appearance of the car. The height, lower limit and technical properties of the protective device are regulated by special standards.
Modern vehicle manufacturers offer several bumper options for installation on the same car model, giving the buyer a choice depending on personal preferences for equipping the car with additional functions. All options for one model have the same seats. You can buy a bumper of the desired type not only when picking up a car, but also in a regular auto parts store.
Car bumper
A modern car bumper consists of various parts and has holes for installation:
- spoilers;
- moldings;
- gratings;
- fog lights;
- headlight glass protection washers;
- parktronics.
Some vehicles are factory-equipped with safety beams with pedestrian airbags to reduce injuries in a road accident. Tuned bumpers installed on cars by exotic lovers make the car look unusual and stylish.
When developing the protection design, special attention is paid to the aerodynamic properties of the car, the location of the bumper has a significant impact on these parameters. A well-designed model correctly distributes the oncoming air flow and increases the stability of the machine at high speed and in corners.
Rear bumper features
The main task of the rear bumper is to protect the optics during a collision and reduce the cost of subsequent repairs, take on most of the impact and, if possible, prevent injury to the driver and passengers.
Modern rear bumpers are equipped with holes for parking sensors, making it easier to park the car.
Is it possible to drive a car without bumpers
The driver must be aware that driving in the absence of protective devices is not safe and is punishable by a fine of up to 500 rubles with motivation - for changes made to the design of the car without the permission of the traffic police.
Sometimes a certificate of an accident can help in such a matter if the driver drives the car to the place of repair, but this issue is completely at the discretion of the traffic police inspector.
