V8 Supercar Safety

[bennygsr]

I was just watching the news again, and watching the slow-motion of the fatal crash at Adelaide in the V8 development series on the weekend.

They also showed the 2006 crash at Bathurst that claimed the the life of Mark Porter. Both of these were side impact related injuries

It got me thinking -

Modern cars are usually designed to be very strong and safe around the passenger cell, with front and rear end crumple zones designed to "absorb" impact, and minimise the jarring action on the people involved. Now obviously side impacts make this somewhat difficult despite the significant safety benefits obtained from side airbags in road cars. With no buffer between the the impact and the strong passenger cell, this like the tough old cars in the old days will strongly predispose to internal type injuries.

Now, with a GT car, eg. V8 supercar, the passenger cells are rediculously strong. and in front and rear collisions very safe. But my theory is that with the shell so stiff, and no buffer that stiffness will do exactly what was done in the two fatal accidents described - cause severe internal injuries in side impacts.

My theory on a solution - without taking into account the engineering feasibility and cost - would be to move the single driver set more central and create cages that allow SOME breaking or give points on the door sides of the vehicle. Maybe this would allow extra absorption that can save a life. Now I am not an engineer or physics specialist, and maybe this has been looked at, but but its just something I thought of. Obviously for a rally car, such a thing would be less feasible.

ANy physicists out there ? Any other opinions ?

 

[GSRSOL]

not a bad idea at all ...

 

[EVO-00X]

pffft... and make racing cars a sissy sport? :lol: it's just one of the risks associated with motor racing, and unfortunately fatalities occur. The cars are meant to be a production vehicle chassis, plus it would be a bit difficult to drive the car in the middle with one leg on either side of the transmission tunnel. Also where are you going to put the pedals? Technology has developed over the years so that TV cameras and radio communications to the cars are everywhere and so are Marshalls with flags who can stop the race immediately.

 

[DOUGMO]

pffft... and make racing cars a sissy sport? :lol: it's just one of the risks associated with motor racing, and unfortunately fatalities occur. The cars are meant to be a production vehicle chassis, plus it would be a bit difficult to drive the car in the middle with one leg on either side of the transmission tunnel. Also where are you going to put the pedals? Technology has developed over the years so that TV cameras and radio communications to the cars are everywhere and so are Marshalls with flags who can stop the race immediately.

exactly,as aprodution based series this will not happen.

it would be too hard for ford and holden has to promote a central seat race car that is too far from a road car.

then you nearly have sports sdans in a prodution class

it is sad that people have died but the amount of fatalities compared
to the amount of accidents is very,very low

 

[Sloth]

Without knowing the poor guys injuries it is hard to tell what killed him.

Rapid deceleration (ie hitting a wall) is what is often is cause of death (usually from the brain smashing into the skull, or "shaking" the internal organs loose). The G forces when hitting a wall are incredible (40-60G at approx 60kph). When I was working in Intensive Care, we were taught that G forces greater that 60 or so G was usually fatal.

Remeber that an acceleration of 1 G means a doubling of percieved mass, and this applies to the internal organs and limbs.

Crumple zones are designed to "spread" the impact over time (OK milliseconds), which reduces the actual G's imparted to the occupants. They have the SECONDARY benefit of limiting the physical trauma due to intrusion into the drivers compartment. As to the limb injuries, most is caused by unrestrained limbs flying around hitting things. (Remember the increased mass.) This is why arm and helmet restraints, HANS (Head And Neck Safety) devices as well as body harnesses are required in most forms of motorsport.

So the idea of side crumple zones may be effective, depending on the design and the G reduction it would provide.