Body shell for cars, vans, and minibuses

摘要

The body shell is box shaped having a front panel, side panels (2,3), windows (5) and a roof (4). The junctions (7,8) of the roof and side panels have deformable weak areas within them over at least part of the length of the vehicle. If the vehicle rolls over, the weak areas allow the corners to open out to a limited extent. The body shell takes up a rounded shape and is thus not subjected to point loads which can cause it to collapse. Additional weak zones can be incorporated in the upper corners (9,10) of the front or rear windows.