Editorial/New Media Editor David Duan
On July 3, Beijing time, the 2022 F1 British Grand Prix had just started, and there was a catastrophic accident in which at least five cars collided. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu suffered a serious rollover.
In the early morning of July 4, @driver Zhou Guanyu updated Weibo to report that he was safe: "I am fine, I am lucky to be able to stand here, today Halo saved me." ”
Immediately related to the topic #Halo system has made a contribution to the #hot search.
What is the concept of an average speed of up to 260 km/h in F1 racing and a maximum speed of about 380 km/h? It's too fast for non-professional racers to judge the changes around them. When taking the driver's license, the coach advises that when cornering, it should not exceed 40 km / h, and the cornering speed of F1 is more than 150 km / h. Moreover, F1 drivers need to race for more than 1 hour in such extreme speed, which can be imagined to require excellent professional ability and physical fitness. Why does the Halo system keep racers safe at critical moments? In the fast and furious F1 race, how is the safety and security of F1 drivers gradually improved? And what other black technologies like this are in F1 racing?
The "aura" covered Zhou Guanyu
From the 1950s until 2017, the cockpit of an F1 car was bare and open, i.e. the driver's head was exposed outside the cockpit, meaning that only the helmet could protect the head. At a speed of 300 kilometers per hour, the protection of the helmet alone is not enough. Since the 2018 season, as teams have launched new cars, people have been surprised to find that this year's car is not much like any previous season: the new car is required by the International Automobile Sports Federation to be mandatorily equipped with a black "flip-flops" in front of the cockpit, and the FIA officially gives it the name halo (halo), which is the "savior" mentioned by Zhou Guanyu.
▲The Halo system on each team (Image source: Sina Sports)
▲ Shield device (Image source: Autohome)
The Halo system was not the first driver's head protection solution. Its predecessors, AeroScreen and Shield devices, were rejected for affecting rider escape or driver driving experience. In 2016, technical officials at the International Automobile Federation (FIA) installed a "flip-flop" on the part of the car where the Shield was originally placed. Because this weirdly-looking "flip-flops" look like a ring, it was named "Halo". The Halo system was tested in-vehicle at the end of season 17, but the reviews were one-sided. But the FIA, having ruled out two options, felt the urgency and forced teams to install the Halo system.
▲ Halo system in test (Image source: ZAKER News)
The Halo system is made of titanium alloy with a diameter of 50 mm, and the three fulcrums are welded directly in front of the cockpit and behind the left and right sides, respectively, although the quality of the Halo system is only 1/3 of the Shield, no more than 7 kg, but it can withstand the pressure generated by the vertical and 46 kN lateral impact of 116 kN, up to the weight of a 12-ton double-decker bus. This is perhaps the biggest advantage of titanium alloys - ultra-light and impact-resistant.
In January 2017, fia officials placed a helmet-wearing model man inside the Halo ring during an official test, and then pushed a 20 kg Pirelli tire to hit the Halo ring at a speed of 225 km/h. As a result, people were surprised to find that the Halo ring did not undergo any deformation and the model man remained intact.
▲Comparison before and after equipping the Halo system (Image source: Sina Sports)
The first season of the Halo system saved the life of now Ferrari driver Leclerc. 2018 was the first year of Leclerc's F1 career. In Belgium, McLaren's Alonso was rear-ended by Renault's Hockenberg and the car took off, flying over Leclerc's head and sliding down halo. Without the Halo system, Leclerc's head would have been squashed by a half-ton high-speed car. Since then, there have been fewer doubts and criticisms of the Halo system.
Speed goes hand in hand with danger
The safety and security of riders is gradually established and perfected on the tragic lessons of fire and blood, tears and pain that have been experienced countless times in history. F1 in the 1950s was synonymous with death. At that time, the speed of the car had reached the 300 km/h mark. In order to reduce unnecessary weight, the strength of the car body has not been correspondingly improved. Under the idea of minimizing resistance and increasing extreme speed, the lack of friction in the corners also makes the car more and more difficult to control, and crashing has almost become a fixed program of the race, and everyone is accustomed to it. Teams are constantly introducing faster and lighter cars, and in order to make the race more visible, the organizers allow live spectators to move around freely in the absence of fence protection and buffer belts in high-speed bends. This means that spectators and drivers face the same dangers.
▲ The scene of the accident of the 1955 Le Mans tragedy (picture from the Internet)
In the 1955 Race at Le Mans, the Mercedes-Benz racing team raced out of control and rushed into the crowd, killing 81 people and injuring hundreds.
▲ Jim Clark (Image source: Sohu Auto)
In 1968, jim Clark, a recognized genius driver, had an accident while competing in a low-division event, flew out of the car, and died on the spot. Regrettably, the race was still going on after the body was removed from the accident site – the race didn't stop because of the rider's accident. Jim Clark's death has had a huge shock to the racing world and has caused more drivers to resent the poor safety of the car. A few months later, the Riders Association was formed, proposing to force riders to wear fireproof clothing and safety helmets.
In 1973, England driver Roger Williamson's car flipped over after the impact and buckled upside down on the side of the track, when the car suddenly caught fire. His teammate and friend David Pure immediately pulled the car aside, jumped off the car, and ran to the scene of the incident, trying to flip the car that was on fire. But human power is clearly unable to propel a car weighing several hundred kilograms. Logue Williamson was buried in the fire under the gaze of his friends...
The accident of Roger Williamson directly led to the birth of the professional fire brigade of F1, and the accident fire prevention requirements of racing cars are getting higher and higher.
Meanwhile, Lotus Founders Colin Chapman and Lotus set out to boost the downforce of the car, adding larger spoiler wings to the car. In the subsequent experiments with the new technology, more drivers gave their lives. Bruce McLaren, founder of the McLaren brand, was killed. Shortly thereafter, the drivers of the German Grand Prix's Nürburgring protested en masse, and no one wanted to compete. Thanks to the efforts of the Drivers' Association, the Circuit North Of New York is no longer on the F1 race list. Coincidentally, the previously accident-prone Spa circuit was also voted cancelled by the drivers.
Throughout the more than seven decades of F1 racing, more than three hundred people have been killed. Of these, 15 were in the 1950s and 14 in the 1960s. Thanks to the efforts of the Drivers' Union, this figure was lowered to 12 in the seventies and to 4 in the eighties.
Roland Ratzenberg (Image source: Motorsport.com)
▲ Elton Senna (Image source: Sina Sports)
In 1994, two drivers at the San Marinoi circuit died in the same race week – Roland Ratzenberg and the famous Brazilian car god Elton Senna. Since then, the FIA has imposed stricter rules on F1 events. In the 21st century, only one driver was killed in F1.
"Armed to the teeth" F1 driver
In addition to the HALO system, the event will also ensure the safety of drivers in many ways. Jiang Weilin, a professional car critic and driver, said that today's F1 events have "armed the safety configuration to the teeth". From the racer's shoes, underwear, clothing, gloves, helmets, HANS system (Head And Neck Support), HALO system, and the racing car's explosion-proof fuel tank, core safety pack, survival compartment, and cushioning materials in the vehicle, all items and materials need to be certified by the FIA.
Fire resistant racing suits
(Image source: latimages.com)
The main material of the fireproof racing suit is polyisophthalyl-m-phenylenediamine, which has very good stability. The latest test standard for FIA fireproof racing suits stipulates that racing suits must remain intact for 20 seconds in a fire at 800 °C.
HANS system
HANS is an abbreviation for Head And Neck Support System, which is designed to prevent the rider's head from moving back and forth violently and to avoid causing injury to the rider's head and neck, especially the bottom of the skull.
(Image source: Autohome)
The neck of the human body is different from the chest and head, the chest cavity is formed by the spine and ribs to form a protective structure, and the head is protected by the skull. Only one vertebrae supports the neck protection is the most fragile. In the race, the driver's neck has to bear 5 times the weight of his head plus helmet, and the direction and change speed of the force are extremely fast, which requires the F1 driver to have a strong neck. In the event of an accident, the force on the neck will rise sharply and it is easy to be life-threatening.
Through the protection of the head and neck protection system, it is possible to prevent the driver's spine from being pulled backwards, and it can also prevent the driver's head from being thrown forward and hitting the steering wheel. According to the test statistics, after wearing the HANS system, the force on the rider's head and neck during the impact was reduced by 68% and 86%, respectively.
Carbon fiber monomer shell
The monocoque cockpit is the most important piece of equipment to house F1 riders, the monocoque is made of expensive carbon fiber, a material that is twice as strong as steel, but only one-fifth the mass. On an F1 vehicle, every gram is valuable, so that's a big reason why the monomer shell is made of carbon fiber. At present, the monoshell of the F1 vehicle is composed of a total of 12 layers of carbon fiber, and it should be noted that each carbon fiber is only one-fifth the thickness of a human hair. When the monomer shell is manufactured, a honeycomb-like aluminum is laid between two layers of carbon fiber, and then baked in a high-temperature and high-pressure oven, and it takes about two and a half hours for the monomer shell to harden.
According to F1 rules, the carbon fiber monocoque shell cockpit must be manufactured by each fleet itself, can withstand a weight equivalent to a double-decker bus, and can prevent any sharp objects from penetrating. In order to maximize the safety of the rider, the engine, transmission and other power components are placed outside the monocoque cockpit, and the fuel tank that is easily ignited is included in the monocoque cockpit structure. After a severe collision with 53G, the monocoque shell stuck in the collision avoidance column remains intact.
The successful holding of an F1 event is the result of the joint efforts of many factors. The future evolution of F1 is more about making this sport that challenges the limits less the shadow of death and more fast and furious.
(Content source: ZAKER News, Racing World Miscellaneous, Sina Sports, Sohu Racing, CCTV News, Red Star News, etc.)
Producer: Popular Science Central Kitchen
Producer: Beijing Science and Technology News | Beike Media
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