Crumple zone (Barényi)
Zona de deformación programada (Barényi)
- Date
- 1952 · confidence high
- Place
- Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Credited to
- Béla Barényi (Daimler-Benz)
- Field
- Movement
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A body with a rigid passenger cell and front and rear zones that deform and absorb crash energy. Béla Barényi patented it in 1952 and the Mercedes-Benz W111 (1959) was the first production car to include it.
Barényi had sketched the concept in 1937; the 1959 Mercedes-Benz W111 was presented with it; the patent dates from 1952 and series production from 1959.
What it led to
- passive-safety body design across the industry
- crash tests and homologation standards