The other day I was doing some research when I came across a couple of pictures of a horrific accident at the 2007 Canadian GP. It happened on lap 27, as the Polish driver Robert Kubica approached the hairpin his BMW Sauber touched Jarno Trulli's Toyota. The contact was enough to send Kubica's car onto the grass and unfortunately hit a hump in the grass that lifted the car's nose enough to get it airborne. Unable to steer or brake, the car then hit a concrete retaining wall and rolled as it came back across the track. It finally came to rest on its side, after hitting the opposite wall on the outside of the hairpin.
My reason for revisiting this crash is to illustrate how far safety has come in motorsports, and with it, a trickle down effect into our daily drivers.
The speed measured when Kubica hit the barrier was 186 mph, at a 75 degree agle, subjecting him to an average deceleration of 28 G(force). Furthermore, analysis from the onboard data recorder showed that Kubica had been subjected to a peak of 75 G.
Even though the crash was massive one, Kubica suffered only a light concussion alongside a sprained ankle, was kept in the hospital for overnight observation and released the following day. The car's carbon-fiber honey comb composite monocoque and its "crumple zone" did its job. This was the first car to fully designed by BMW after they purchased the Sauber team.
Below there is a short video about the crash:
A bit more about the monocoque cockpit:
As one can see in the second picture, the entire front "section" is gone leaving only the tub scathing over the track. Parts such as the nose, including the front wing, were all detached due to the initial impact, as were the suspension and steering components. This "detachment" event absorbs quite a lot of energy, and deflects it away from the driver. Kind of like a crumple zone we have in our every day cars.
At the heart of any modern F1 car lies the immensely strong monocoque structure, referred to earlier as the tub. It incorporates the cockpit and the driver's survival cell, but also forms the principal component of the car's chassis in that the engine and front suspension both mount directly to it. Both roles, as structural component and safety device, require is to be as strong as possible.
Like most of the car, the tub is constructed of carbon fibre. Normally, the tub is comprised of high density woven laminate exterior panels, and a strong, light honeycomb structure inside. Building a monocoque is similar to assembling a 1:1 scale model kit, with hundreds of seperate carbon fibre components being bonded together using very powerful adhesives. It is one of the biggest jobs faced by the team's composite technicians.
Dr. Sid Watkins, F1's Guardian Angel, lobbied strongly for the adoption of what he referred to "driver's survival cells", commonly known as the tub. The fundamental principle behind it is that the driver should be able to get out in the least time (five seconds) without having to remove anything except the steering wheel. Crash protection areas, aka crumple zones, are incorporated in the front, sides and rear of the survival cell, as is the roll-over hoop behind the driver's seat. In recent years much effort has been spent on increasing the protection for drivers' heads - the area most vulnerable to harm by flying debris - by specifying higher and tougher cockpit side walls.
Even though many fans, myself included, miss those days in which one could see the driver's head clearly (the nineteen-nineties Williams), when it comes to safety, all these improvements have raised the bar a good notch higher.
In conclusion, although I write about the increased safety level in motorsports, I do this in general terms and with the notion that one needs lady luck on one's side on occasion.
Earlier this year Robert Kubica was seriously injured in a crash while participating at the Ronde di Andora rally. The severity of his injuries were the result of the guard rail penetrating the Skoda Fabia's cockpit, and hitting Kubica, while leaving his navigator unscathed.
Due to the extend of his injuries, he has missed out on 2011 F1 season. The Polish driver is determined to fully recover from his injuries, but his future in F1 racing is still unclear.
Sources: formula1.com
No comments:
Post a Comment