Ford’s new 2015 F-150->ke423 might have a body made from aluminum, but as the NHTSA found out, the truck->ke242 is no beer can. Recent testing by the government agency showed the truck withstood the standardized crash tests with ease, earning the F-150 a five-star rating – the highest available. So how did Ford->ke4236 engineers design the truck to withstand a 40 mph impact impact without pancaking like an empty can of Natty Lite under a pair of work boots on Friday night?

High-strength steel, a built-in roll cage, and supercomputers.

As it turns out, the F-150’s new frame isn’t just for weight reduction or payload capacity. Like all new body-on-frame vehicles these days, the F-150’s frame uses crumple zones with corrugated steel to act as shock absorbers during a crash. The difference with Ford’s design is the shape of the frame itself. Rather than using a simple box shape, engineers added bends at the corners of the frame’s box shape, essentially giving the box 12 sides.

Within the aluminum body, engineers used hydroforming techniques to shape the military-grade, high-strength aluminum. Those hydroformed pieces make up the roof rails and the door structure. A separate process called extruding is used to create the roof pillars and rocker panels, giving the F-150 a built-in roll cage of sorts.

Many of those aluminum parts are bonded together using an equally high-tech approach. Rather than welding, the parts are joined together using high-strength adhesives, which Ford says are stronger than conventional welds in many cases.

All of this technology was tested in the digital world long before the first F-150 met its fate against the crash barrier. Engineers used computer modeling to predict how each component would behave in the impact – even down to the smallest nut and bolt. Check out the awesome GIFs of these computerized crashed below.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2015 Ford F-150's safety test.

This overall view of the F-150 hitting an invisible barrier shows just how the impact is dissipated before it ever reaches the cab. The new high-strength steel frame works along side the aluminum body to absorb the forces, acting like a one-time-use-only shock absorber.

Here’s an underside view of what the frame looks like during a crash. Notice the dark grey sections – that’s the upgraded crumple zones. They work to dissipate the majority of the inertia as the truck abruptly slows down. The rest of the forces are absorbed in pre-determined areas between the first and second body mounts. You’ll notice a hole drilled into each side of the frame at this area. This gives the frame a built-in weak point, allowing that pre-determined area to collapse while the rest of the frame stays firmly in place.

Ford has been pioneering the use of inflatable seatbelts for some time now, but the 2015 F-150 is the first truck to employ the technology. Working along side pretensioners that remove slack from the belt upon impact, the inflatable seatbelts essentially have built-in airbags that distribute crash forces over a larger area across the occupants' chests. This lessens the likelihood of injury from the seatbelt. These inflatable seatbelts are offered as an option for the rear seats on SuperCrew models.

The F-150’s steering column is also upgraded to collapse in different ways depending on the driver’s size and seatbelt usage.

Besides passive safety systems, the F-150 is designed to avoid crashes altogether. Ford has added Curve Control to the truck’s extensive list of electronic stability programs. The new system works to slow the truck down during a curve when it senses the driver’s entry speed is too high. In other words, it steps on the brakes when you throw the truck into a sharp turn and induce understeer. Guardrails and fences everywhere are happy.

Ford F-150