Boron Extrication An in-depth look into vehicle extrication and rescues involving today's automobiles
Body Structure
The 2018 Equinox body structure contains 11 percent ultra-high-strength steel, up from 10 percent, creating a tough, light safety cage around the occupants. The advanced high-strength dual-phase and other multiphase steels also increased from 12 percent to 31 percent.
Impact on Dash Displacements
In previous posts, I covered the area of the vehicle that automakers are adding stronger steel to preform better in the IIHS small-overlap test. For a quick refresher, the IIHS small-overlap test, instituted in 2012, is designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or object at 40 mph. In the image below, General Motors added more advanced steel and UHSS in the hinge pillar and front fender by the firewall. Rescuers may need to cut deeper into the fender to get the dash to lift during a dash lift with the spreaders.
