|
crease
I vote 'structural',with creative license.
Daimler called it 'Zeppelinesque' I think.
The corrugation allows for stiffness in a thin,light,fuel-saving panel which would otherwise 'tin-can' or resonate.
The car skin can wad up in a collision absorbing kinetic energy of impact,leaving the safety cage and airbags as the 'barrier' to protect the occupants.
Any kind of crease adds the stiffness,so designers have a large degree of creative latitude in its use.
As to aero,I'll await an SAE Paper or journalistic synopsis of such a paper.
|