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Transportation Science Fair Project

Crash Barrels and Collision Absorption

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Crash Barrels and Collision Absorption | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Can a cup filled with sand absorb enough impact to protect a barrier during a crash? Highway crash barrels work on this same idea. You roll a model car down a ramp into a copper plate. In front of the plate you place cups. Some are empty. Others hold water or sand. After each crash you measure how much the copper plate bends. The results show how much each filling reduces the damage compared to no barrier at all.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that paper cups filled with water and sand will be able to absorb a greater amount of impact during a collision.

Method & Materials

You will set up a ramp, place a model car on top, and place paper cups filled with water and sand in front of a copper barrier. You will then measure the deformation of the copper barrier after the collision.
You will need a ramp, 3 empty paper cups, 3 paper cups filled with water, 3 paper cups filled with sand, a model car, 12 plates of copper, 2 long nails, a ruler, and a roll of masking tape.

Results

The results show that the cups filled with water and sand are able to absorb more impact from the collision, than the empty cups. The deformation of the copper plate was at its greatest with the empty cups.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it tests the effectiveness of crash barrels filled with water and sand. It also shows how crash barrels can help reduce the damage to vehicles and roadside structures in the event of a collision.

Also Consider

Consider testing which is a better impact absorber - water or sand? You could also try repeating the experiment by raising the ramp gradient in order to increase the speed of the car.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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