Since the time I saw vehicles and heard about accidents, I have been pondering about whether a cushion surrounding each vehicle could prevent all the death and destruction, and encourage more people to learn driving. As I grew up physically and mentally, I speculated if a rubber cushion would help. When I first learnt about electro-magnetism, I wondered if an electromagnetic cushion around cars would help them repel each other and thus prevent accidents.

Soon after that, I discovered about the periodic table and asked myself if using any element other than what is already being used, would help.

To explore that, first we need to know more about steel, which is what the frames of most cars are made of. Steel has many properties which make it a suitable material for manufacturing cars:

  1. Steel has high elasticity compared to lets say, rubber. It can absorb and distribute crash impulses hence lessening the impact.
  2. It has high structural rigidity. This helps provide the car with a smooth overall motion.
  3. The ease of post-crash repair due to easy availability.
  4. It’s recyclable.
  5. Can be protected from corrosion usign anti-corrosion paints. This provides durability.
  6. The quantity of steel required to provide a particular level of strength and elasticity weighs less as compared to most other materials.
  7. Makes it easy to plug-in other car components like nuts, bolts and tyres.

A viable alternative to steel is carbon fibre. But what interests me more is exploring the electro-magnetic alternative I mentioned above. I aim to have a garage or a mini-lab of my own soon, so I can experiment and know more about the possibilities of this option. I would hopefully learn a lot more about electro-magnetism and materials along the way!

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