[slipstream]

ok....I've heard about an F1 car's braking being similar to hitting a brick wall and all that but....

Are F1 cars equipped with ABS ?

If Yes, why do the front wheels lock up during late braking ?

If No, why not ?



Tried searching for a similar thread but could not find one...Mods, please merge if a similar thread exists

[ashwin.terminat]

ABS was banned in 1993 after being used most succesfully, along with many other driving aids, like traction control, launch control, active suspension and so on, in the 1992 and 1993 seasons. It was classified as an electronic driver aid, preventing the wheels from locking up and eliminating the driver's skill from the process of braking. In F1, braking for a corner is still considered to be the most important test for a driver.

Source: Is ABS brake banned in F1? if so, why?? - Yahoo! Answers

You can read more here: Formula 1

[slipstream]

Thanks Ashwin ! But shouldnt ABS be looked at more as a safety measure than as a drivers aid ?

[mayankjha1806]

On the safety aspect, F1 cars are made safe in their design and construction, apart from process safety in the circuit itself.

There are specific safety requirements, this is specifically true after Senna's death. To name a few

1. Clothing
2. The height of the hood so as when the car turns up-side down it protects the driver
3. The harness where the driver seals himself with.
4. The Helmet
5. The Carbon shell of the car, which dis-integrates when collides.
6. The Cockpit shell which is rigid, does not crumble. The rest of the car crumbles to absorb the shock.

And many more

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

1. Clothing
2. The height of the hood so as when the car turns up-side down it protects the driver
3. The harness where the driver seals himself with.
4. The Helmet
5. The Carbon shell of the car, which dis-integrates when collides.
6. The Cockpit shell which is rigid, does not crumble. The rest of the car crumbles to absorb the shock.

And many more

Add to that list a Roll Cage not too far in the future post Massa's horrific accident a few years ago.

[ecenandu]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

Add to that list a Roll Cage not too far in the future post Massa's horrific accident a few years ago.

Roll cage? I cannot figure a F1 car with a roll cage. Massa's accident happened because of spring flung for Barrichello's car, I don't think a roll cage would have saved him. The current F1 car does have a very good roll over protection, a hoop behind the driver's seat.

Having said that, effort has to be concentrated on increasing the protection for driver's heads - the area most vulnerable.

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by ecenandu

Roll cage? I cannot figure a F1 car with a roll cage. Massa's accident happened because of spring flung for Barrichello's car, I don't think a roll cage would have saved him. The current F1 car does have a very good roll over protection, a hoop behind the driver's seat.

Having said that, effort has to be concentrated on increasing the protection for driver's heads - the area most vulnerable.

My bad. Not roll cage but 'Roll Hoop'.

Details: FIA Institute testing forward roll hoops to increase driver protection - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com

The latest tests have involved using a titanium roll hoop structure, built by the Lotus team, into which a 20kg F1 wheel is fired at 225 km/h.
On the back of mixed results for the shields - with the polycarbonate one shattering and the aerospace canopy flexing - the roll hoop tests have been more encouraging.
Andy Mellor, the FIA Institute's technical advisor, told the latest issue of IQ magazine: "The roll hoop basically did a very good job. It was able to keep a wheel away from a driver's head. We tested it both by firing the wheel down the centre of the car, and also coming at it from an angle."
The other benefit of the roll hoop design was that the impact deflated the tyre – which meant that it had less chance of being deflected further in subsequent impacts.
"The impact deflated the tyre during both tests," said Mellor. "We tend to think that's a good thing – it means that the wheel doesn't bounce as much. It stops much more quickly if you can deflate the tyre."