Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Anti-wrinkle Auto Alloy

 Countermeasure for crumpled cars
  (+7, -2)
(+7, -2) 		  [vote for,
against]

Instead of replacing car parts like bent fenders, dented doors or a hail-pelted roof, make the outer shell out of memory metal. After driving or being towed to the nearest car wash, the heat would cause the nickel-titanium alloy to resume its earlier shape. Any original car paint would have to be flexible. Expensive models would be 100% memory metal so that even if totalled, they would get back in shape in minutes.
—FarmerJohn, Apr 26 2002

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       Car sheetmetal out of Nitinol?   Seems to me they would all be "expensive models."
—bristolz, Apr 26 2002
   

       Cars would be all shriveled on cold days.   

       ("Shrivel." We need to use this word more often.)
—waugsqueke, Apr 26 2002
   

       shrivel my timbers
—po, Apr 26 2002
   

       Paying for the Nitinol wires in my braces has certainly made my wallet shrivel.
—half, Apr 26 2002
   

       If heat does the trick, then manufacture the memory metal panels with flexible heating elements attached to the inner side. After a little fender bender, just push a button to apply power to the heating elements and like magic you have a remake of the movie "Christine".
—half, Apr 26 2002
   

       Saturn makes their fenders and doors out of a flexible plastic for that purpose exactly. They are designed to spring back to their shape after getting hit ( similar to kicking the front of a soda machine ) thus minimizing dents
—Shocker, Jul 03 2003
   

       Most vehicles now use Dual Phase steel, for the main structural parts, which rapidly work hardens in the event of a collision. It is more dent resistant as well.
Dual phase steel is produced by finish rolling steel strip at approx 870C, cooling to 650C, holding for 3 seconds, and then reducing temperature quickly to 200C.
Wouldn't the problem with Nitinol be that it would be very easy to bend or dent, initially? But real fun, all the same.
—Ling, Oct 26 2004
   


 

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