Just curious. I can't remember ever seeing an F1 driver wearing one, or specifically, removing one after an accident. According to the race announcers today, Fisichella's crash in Saturdays practice resulted in a 34g deceleration...and he walked away from it with only very minor injuries. Unbelievable.

 

I have heard that the HANS device will be required for F1 drivers next year....

 

nah, just have a harness bar in back.....

D

 

I've not seen the device on the necks of any of them. But those F1 cars and courses as so well damn built I don't think they'll ever fully need the added protection, or I hope they won't.

 

autoweek had a story last week saying that the HANS device was going to be mandatory next year...

Dan

 

 

Yup next year. Remember that the whole car acts as a HANS device so this is really only iceing on the cake. By this I mean that the cockpit is designed arounfthe driver and his seat has built in supports for his neck and back. An f1 car is the safest car in the world IMO and the wreck Fisi had only proves that even more. to the FIA for having suck tight safety restrictions.

 

But, isn't the point in the hans to stop the head from going FORWARD.

 

Yes that is what it stops. The purpose is to stop your brain from squashing inside your mellon. The F1 cars are of course all carbon fiber which is the best shock absorber around (hense all the racing series coming up with some sort of carbon nose) and this is the first and most important safety device. That is why it is just added protection. The hans is soo important in cars like NASCAR, CART, and IRL because they run on ovals with concrete walls. These series need all the added protection you can get.

 

Actually, a carbon composite tub is a lousy energy absorber - it is all of the wings, sidepods, heat exchangers, plumbing and suspension bits that do a good job of decreasing impact accelerations. FIA-spec tracks are also a LOT more forgiving than our oval walls...

Kirk

 

Yea, thats what I was originally wondering about. A 34g deceleration would have to put alot of stress on the neck. There must be someting in an F1 car keeping the head from snapping forward. No?

 

I think this is why Schumacher said he would never run at the Indy 500.

 

Hmmm well that is kind of true, only because the tub never comes into contact with anything because the carbon wings side and sidepods are taking all of the impact. The tub is actually stronger because it has more layers to it. So let me get this right in the case of an accident you are going to choose a CART car over a F1 car? Example going off in Eau rouge at 180+, what would you take? Frontal impact BTW.

 

Neither, may *** wouldn't drive those cars to the limit.......I don't get free medical and a 64 million dollar a year contract. *cough* schumi *cough*

 

Nope nothing. Just the carbon wings absorbing the impact. Of couse the tires help also.

 

Yes. The rest of the car. That 34g deceleration is what was experienced by the car, not the driver. The key is for the car to completely destroy itself outside of the "driver's tub" to take as much deceleration from the driver as possible.

 

LOl, man I would try to drive the **** out of one of those cars if given the chance. If I were to die while doing this then when the marshall got me out of the car and removed my helmet they would find that even in death I still had a **** eating grin on my face!

 

Actually Fisi did feel the 34g's That is what he stated in the pre race at least.

 

Through his experienced butt dyno??

There was a sensor on the car that recorded the speed and the time that it took for the car to come to zero and it calculates the deceleration through math. It's not what the driver actually experiences.

 

No, No the butt dyno is used for acceleration not deceleration. They use that same math you speak of to calculate the G's on the driver because after all he is the one they are worried about not the car.

 

Implanted in his neck? The 34g sensor was on the car.

If the 34g sensor was on the driver, he wouldn't have HAD a press conference afterwards...

 

They take the reading from the sensor on his CAR and calculate to find what the driver absorbed. Humans can take 34 g's over a short period of time. They however can't take it over an extended period of time.

 

Hans Device will be mandatory in F1 in 2003. It was originally mandated for 2002, but changed to 2003 due to supply problems last year when CART & NASCAR required it for 2002, as well as, the mad rush to get one by others after Dale E died.

Also, the F1 wanted to do independent tests on whether it really worked or not. They did prove it worked, and only the Hans Device is approved for F1, the others are not.

 

Here is an article you might like.

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...io/part4-2.htm

It is very good at explaining the effects of deceleration on humans.

 

How do they do that?!?! You would have to independently model each crash with respect to direction; what it impacted (cement wall, tire wall, etc.); and the absorption characteristics of the nose, suspension, tires; the independent paths they took during the compression, etc.

They would have to model how each component deformed in THAT particular crash to determine exactly how much force it took. It would take WEEKS to make that determination.

There is NO WAY they are sure that 34g's is what the driver experienced. There are WAY too many variables to determine that number without some SERIOUS time, effort, and money.