Ep 77 Motorsport Safety Pt 2
Engineering News – Balance Beam Robot (5:10)
This week's engineering failure is the Motorsport Safety Pt 2 (7:55). In the second episode of this two part series, we discuss pitlane safety (15:00) and the HANS device (21:10).
Sources:
Engineering News
Nascar Going to the Moon: https://spacenews.com/leidos-working-with-nascar-on-artemis-lunar-rover/
Motorsport Safety
Head and Neck Support (HANS) Device:
https://www.hansdevice.com/ https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15121817/the-physics-of-how-the-hans-device-saves-lives-feature/
Steel and Foam Energy Reducing (SAFER) Barrier:
Halo
Episode Summary
Hi and welcome to Failurology; a podcast about engineering failures. I’m your host, Nicole
And I’m Brian. And we’re both from Calgary, AB.
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Engineering News - Balance Beam Robot
The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University has designed a 4 legged robot that can walk on a narrow 6cm wide balance beam.
Using tech designed to control satellites in space, the team was able to improve the robots' balancing abilities.
Robots don’t have the agility of mammals and typically require at least 3 legs on the ground to remain stable. Their legs are also decoupled and don’t talk to each other.
Using a flywheel and motor, the robot can counter its balance to prevent it from falling over.
It's only a matter of time before robots are walking upright.
If you want to read more about this balance beam robot check out the link on the web page for this episode at failurology.ca
Now on to this week’s engineering failure; the second of a two part episode on motorsport safety. As we talked about last time, NASCAR was the inspiration for this episode, but we’ll discuss other forms of racing as well. Disclaimer - not covering everything, just the stuff we find interesting.
SAFER Barriers (at Race Tracks)
Steel and Foam Energy Reduction Barrier – constructed of structural steel tubes welded together in a flush mounting, strapped in place to the existing concrete walls
Prior to SAFER barrier, tire barriers, water and sand barrels, Styrofoam blocks, gravel traps, guard rails and earth embankments were used. All of these are still used in various locations.
Developed between 1998-2002 by a team of engineers at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Purpose if to absorb and reduce kinetic energy during the impact of a high speed crash and lessen injuries to drivers and spectators.
Installed most tracks on IndyCar and NASCAR circuit by 2005.
Needed to be designed to prevent catch and pivot or wrapping scenarios
Had to be retrofitted to existing concrete walls at oval tracks
Be able to withstand open wheel Indy Car and heavier NASCAR stock cars
Be easily repairable after impact
First tested by Robby McGehee in a crash on the first day of practice of the 2002 Indy 500.
Pitlane Safety – NASCAR
Speed limit implemented for pit road (where the cars are serviced during the race) in 1991 after the rear tire changer for Melling Racing was killed in a pit row crash.
Speed varies with track size and configuration
Since 2002, NASCAR has required all over the wall crew members to wear helmets, full fire suits, and gloves. Fuellers have to wear a fire apron as well. Since 2010, F1 has banned fuelling of cars during a race. Banned previously between 1984
Cannot push a car more than 3 pit box lengths if engine doesn’t start
NASCAR Car Design
Research on a new car design (eventually known as the Car of Tomorrow) started after the death of a number of drivers in NASCAR’s top series, most notable of which was Dale Earnhardt Sr. at the Daytona 500 in 2001. Car debuted in 2007.
Left side skin has a steel plate for better resiliency in crashes
Roof was raised 4 inches and two inches wider for safety in rolls.
Stronger, smaller fuel cell for a reduced risk of fires
Windows made of Lexan which gains its strength from its flexibility.
HANS Device (F1/NASCAR)
The neck restraint system Brian just mentioned is called the HANS (Head and Neck Support) Device. Four NASCAR drivers have been killed on the track since May 2000 -- Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, Tony Roper and Dale Earnhardt Sr. All of these drivers were killed when their vehicles slammed head-on into a retaining wall, causing a fracture to the base of the skull. Some believe this type of injury is due to the driver's head being left unsecured in the car while his body is strapped securely to his seat.
The risk of severe injury, and possibly death, prompted six NASCAR drivers to try out a new device called the Head And Neck Support (HANS) system at the 2001 Daytona 500. This device was co-developed by Dr. Robert Hubbard, a professor of engineering at Michigan State University, and his brother-in-law, former IMSA car driver Jim Downing. The HANS device is designed to reduce the chance of injury caused by unrestrained movement of the head during crashes.
The HANS device is a semi-hard collar made of carbon fiber and Kevlar, and it is held onto the upper body by a harness worn by the driver. Two flexible tethers on the collar are attached to the helmet to prevent the head from snapping forward or to the side during a wreck. The device weighs approximately 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg).
Doctors have said that it is unclear if the HANS device could have saved Earnhardt, but it is believed that the device saved the life of a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) driver in January 2001. While practicing for an upcoming race, Bruno Junqueira spun out of control and slammed into a concrete wall at 200 mph (322 kph). Junqueira, who was wearing the HANS device, walked away from the crash without injury.
NASCAR officials have said that NASCAR race cars are different from CART cars, and they are unsure if the device would be as effective for NASCAR drivers. Drivers, including Earnhardt, have complained that the device is too bulky, would restrict movements and would make it difficult for drivers to exit the car in emergencies. Hubbard/Downing Inc. said it was producing only three to four of these helmets per day just weeks before the 2001 Daytona 500, but received nearly three-dozen orders within hours after Earnhardt's crash. Ford has offered to pay for a HANS device for any driver who wants to wear one.
In October 2001, NASCAR officials mandated the use of an approved head-and-neck-restraint system for all drivers racing in the Winston Cup Series, Nascar Busch Series or Nascar Craftsman Truck Series.
So there you have it, Part 2 of our series on motorsport safety. Over the years, we’ve raced some cars, we’ve learned a lot, and hopefully we continue to adapt and improve the safety of motorsport.
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