Buses and other large vehicles employ a number of modular, pillow-like units. Restraining the water flow cushions the impacting bodies to absorb the kinetic energy of the collision and prolong the period of deceleration enough to greatly reduce the impact forces which damage or demolish vehicles and injure or kill passengers.įull bumper protection for cars and small trucks include complete units front and rear-painted to match, or contrast with, the body color-replacing the OE (original equipment) bumpers. Molded of tough quarter-inch-thick poly (vinyl chloride) developed from resins and plasticizers, bumpers and cells alike consist of a water chamber with restricted openings for controlled escape of water upon impact.
Key to the effectiveness of these safety devices lies in the reduced rate of deceleration they provide to impacting bodies. In addition, clusters of Hi-Dro Cushion Cells lower acceleration peaks by as much as 60% in full-scale automobile/barrier impacts at speeds up to 60 mph, compared with impacts against unprotected barriers. Also it severely limits the damage at higher speeds, while preventing or dramatically reducing personal injuries to restrained passengers in such impacts.
After nearly five years of evaluation, results show that the Energy Absorption Water Bumper significantly prevents vehicle damage in collisions at speeds up to 18 mph. Energy Absorption Systems, Chicago, Illinois, manufacturers of the hydraulic safety device developed by John Rich, believes that the country can put an end to these accidents by adopting plastic "water bumpers" for its cars, and installing Hi-Dro Cushion cells in front of highway abutments and along guard rails in particularly dangerous areas.
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