Safety First – Circuits
If you were to mention the letters F I A to any true-blooded F1 fan and asked which words they associated with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, you would most likely hear Max Mosley, penalties, Court of Appeal and regulations amongst a list of answers. What could the FIA have done to deserve such derision?
It’s easy to forget that the FIA is also involved at the cutting edge of driver, car and circuit safety and it’s something that’s often given a low priority for dissemination to the public; so I decided I’d like to showcase some of the recent developments that help make the sport safer for drivers and spectators alike.
I hadn’t intended to write about safety; initially I’d planned a post about changes to crash test standards in Formula One. That’s still the plan, but somewhere along the way the idea developed into a mini series of blog posts on interesting pieces of the work done by the FIA’s Safety Institute culminating with the crash test special to end the week.
Circuit Safety Analysis System (CSAS)
Every circuit on the FIA F1 calendar has to be approved for racing prior to being given a licence and only those circuits that achieve the FIA’s Grade 1 status can host a Formula One race. So how does circuit meet the approved standards? Fortunately for the teams and drivers, a circuit safety analysis system is used to determine how safe the run-off areas and barriers are in any given situation, without the need for crash testing on the circuit. The CSAS computer program integrates electronic circuit maps with lap data obtained from in-car sensors to make predictions on the severity of an accident occurring at any point along the circuit. Using data on a cars’ velocity at any point along the racing line, coupled with the average deceleration properties of the run-off area and barriers the program can predict likely outcomes. Information derived from the program can be employed in circuit design and in modification to existing tracks, making it safer for all concerned.
But it’s not just drivers who have been hurt in accidents, stewards and spectators have also sustained injuries after being struck from debris travelling at high velocity after an impact. This is where a second piece of research comes in.
Debris fence
Debris fences fitted trackside aim to prevent damage to spectators from flying debris in the event of an accident. The type currently employed use wire cables that flex slightly to allow some give in the event of a side on impact, but these fences are less able to cope with head on impacts. In conjunction with the FIA Institute and the Circuits Commission, several companies are developing fences that will better manage the energy generated from a head on impacts leading to better protection for the public when those unfortunate circumstances occur.
High speed barriers
Tests are currently ongoing of a new type of high speed barrier capable of dissipating more energy from an impact in a short distance, thereby minimising the g-forces on a drivers’ body and reducing injury. The testing paradigm will look at ways of minimising the risk of going over or under a barrier or, of penetrating the barrier itself.
More safety snippets from me tomorrow…
Good stuff salti, and of course all this work eventually filters down to us as road users in one form or another Maverick(Quote)
Ah so its the FIA who are to blame for all those speed camera’s and fines?
Seriously though, FIA have done some very good work regards safety and its good of salti to bring it to our attention.
Thanks Salti jolly(Quote)
Thanks. Safety is often an overlooked area when it comes to noting the developments going on in racing. Pat W(Quote)
Nice, will be good to see the rest of these snippets
I still think things can be improved in terms of run off as I hate the modern solutions of removing the gravel and placing tarmac there. There must be a way that’s both safe and that punishes big mistakes.
Also – I can’t believe someone who runs a GMM-syndicated site is accusing you of plagiarism! Un-bloody-believable. Enja(Quote)
Doesn’t Paul-Ricard use a high grip tarmac that is better to brake on than gravel and therefore safer but which causes so much tyre wear that a driver has to either stop for fresh rubber or put up with them being next to useless for the next 3 or 4 laps. There’s still a fine balance between causing enough damage to the tyre to be problematic and causing so much that a puncture makes it even worse, but it seems like the right kind of idea. Maverick(Quote)
Jackie,
Don’t let some moron put you off blogging. The fact that someone thinks it is OK to complain about plagiarism while paying Andy to steal other people’s work shows that this is someone you should pay no attention to. You article is far better than his into the bargain. Unfortunately the internet has more than its share of people who behave like him but please don’t let them decide what you do.
I think the run off problem has to be sorted. Gravel stops a car but reults in a safety car period far too often and you have the problem of the roll hoop burying itself and leaving the driver’s head unprotected or in the case of Pedro Diniz snapping off completely. The roll hoop snapped. Not his head. Tarmac run offs apart from being used as a race track extension in many cases is worse than useless in the wet. It would be nice to find a suface that allowed cars to carry on but suffering a reasonable time penalty. Steven Roy(Quote)