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Nr. 21 Year 2012 MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY DALLARA "Periodico regolarmente registrato presso il Tribunale di Parma (n.16, 03/09/2010)" GP2 FROM A DRIVER'S POINT OF VIEW: PROMISING ITALIAN RACER FABIO ONIDI TELLS US ABOUT HIS GP2 SERIES DEBUT ABOARD THE NEW DALLARA, A COMPLETE CAR ABLE TO BOOST A DRIVER'S TALENT CRASH TESTS STRUCTURAL ANALISYS MANAGER ANDREA GIUBELLINI AND FABIO GRIPPA, FROM THE COMPOSITES DEPARTMENT, EXPLAIN EVERYTHING ABOUT CRASH TESTING, ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS IN DESIGNING ROAD AND RACE CARS ENGINEERS ON THE BLOCKS A RESEARCH OVER THE MOTIVATIONS OF THE NEW-GENERATION YOUNG ENGINEERS WORKING FOR DALLARA. A VALUABLE READ FOR ALL THE RECENT GRADUATES WHO WANT TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO MOTORSPORT CRASH TESTS THE ENGINEERS ARE EACH DAY MORE FOCUSED ON SAFETY, ON CRASH-TESTING WHETHER THEY ARE SIMULATED ON A COMPUTER OR PUT INTO REALITY. IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE THIS KIND OF PROCESS, WE INTERVIEWED TWO EXPERIENCED DALLARA ENGINEERS: ANDREA GIUBELLINI, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MANUFACTURER'S STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND FABIO GRIPPA FROM THE COMPOSITES DEPARTMENT, WHO WORKS ON THE REAL-WORLD CRASH TESTS WHEN A CRAS TEST CAN SAV 2 YOUR LIFE ASH VE 3 SICUREZZA How important is crash-testing in structure has been well engineered, a lot of static tests that are done on motorsports today? calculated and manufacturer in order the chassis in order to guarantee safety Andrea Giubellini: The first kind of to respond to the restrictive limits in case of rolling and impacts with a crash test was mandated by the rules imposed by the rules. Although a lot wheel, a kerb, etc. in the 1985 Formula One can be done in the prior phases, some championship and it was a frontal one. factors can't still be effectively How many people are working on this From that moment on, the different predicted (for example, the aspect and how are they organized? dynamic tests required to homologate detachment of the front wing from the A.G.: In our department, one person is the cars have increased and include car's nosecone during an impact) and in charge of investigating new means front, side and rear crashes. It's clear sometimes an actual impact is the only of calculating crashes with composite that they are really important because way to evaluate the situation. The structures, and his task is to transfer the crash structure must absorb the crash tests, together with the static the finding to all the other people energy from the impact, reducing the tests completed on the chassis, working in the field, in order to focus forces echoing themselves on the represents the final test on the on the "production" of structures driver's body. Indirectly, it's also really structures called to guarantee the going to be installed on the cars. I can important to test the elements used to driver's survival in case of an impact. say that five, six people are currently attach the structures to the chassis. The structures typically put through a working on structural analysis are crash test are three: the nosecone, the indirectly working in relation to crash- Fabio Grippa: The crash-tests today are rear crash and the side crash testing development. really important in order to develop structures, respectively used to protect F.G.: At least four Dallara departments the safety in motorsports. Crash-testing the driver from frontal, rear and side are involved in planning a crash test. is the only way to effectively test if a impacts. In addition to that, there are The technical department, which “The first kind of crash test was mandated by the rules in the 1985 Formula One championship and it was a frontal one. From that moment on, the different dynamic tests required to homologate the cars have increased and include front, side and rear crashes” 4 “there are a lot of frontiers that can be opened by simulation. For example, the ability to represent crashes with composite materials opens the road, in the automotive field, to the use of composites where aluminium was used before” design the crash structures according role in how a test is performed the volume that they are expected to to the limits set by the rulebooks in because it allows to build structures fit in. This phase features a tight co- terms of shape and dimensions, the able to perform in the real world in operation with the crash test specialist structural calculus office, which do all the same way that was expected. With that study the possible outcome of a the calculations, the composites the less complicated structures, the crash involving a specific shape. At development office, which define and simulation is so reliable that the crash- that point, the technical department develop the best process to produce tests are conducted directly in front of design the component and the tools them, and the assembly department the officials without prior testing. needed to build it. Then we move to that usually prepares the structures for the crash test simulation where we real-life testing. Does simulation bring room for a define the basic parameters of the further developments? structure (thickness of the sidewalls, What is the role of computer A.G.: There are a lot of frontiers that number, size and orientation of the simulation? can be opened by simulation. For carbon skins and so on‚Ķ). We define A.G.: In Dallara we've been analyzing example, the ability to represent the production procedures for the the passive crash components for crashes with composite materials structure that we need to build. In many years, I'm talking about the opens the road, in the automotive practice, three days before the date chassis supporting the nosecone and field, to the use of composites where scheduled for the crash test, we start the lateral cones. Over this time we aluminium was used before, while in to assembly the chassis with all the developed a robust way of calculating racing we can push beyond in studying needed parts. We mount the fuel tank, things and identified optimized the shape of the nose as we can the safety harness, the battery, the fire solutions to analyze and define the analyze the possible interaction of two extinguisher and all the other lamination. This enables us to create cars during a contact. components that can have a role in a structures that not only pass the crash crash. Then we start with the first test with flying colors but are also Are the tests conducted in the Dallara static tests (typically to prevent the light and performance-oriented once facilities? detachment of the structures from the on the car. In the last few years we F.G.: The Dallara factory is provided chassis in the event of a crash) and started to concentrate on the with an R&D department where we do move to the laboratory certified for simulation of proper composite crash all the static tests on the chassis (roll the selected test. Right after the test, structures. It's a borderline and really bar deflection and push-off tests are we evaluate the deceleration curves to complex activity because we're talking the most common), in addition to analyze if the limits set by the rules about many physical reactions tough some crash tests on smaller are met, and we also analyze the to describe and depending on the components (steering columns etc). videos that have been recorded. The speed, the geometry, the kind of The tests on the crash-absorbing crash is a matter of a few tenths of a material used. In addition to that structures are generally conducted second, and an high-speed video is we're talking about materials in which outside in specific laboratories that are needed to see what happened in each we have three different directions, all specifically accredited and certified. In moment in order to evaluate the with a different behavior, and the order to complete a frontal impact test structure's performance. structures are multi-material ones. we need an environment longer than There's no need to say that the 50 meters with sophisticated launch Who decides what are the standards to problems we're facing aren't easy to and data acquisition systems. Due to be met? approach. In order to conduct these the high cost, it's not financially viable A.G.: It's usually the technical studies in a more efficient way, we to develop an internal laboratory. rulebook which defines the types of started to co-operate with some crash tests to overcome and the specialized laboratories. Altair, the Can you take us through the steps of a specific requirements. More advice can software house that provides us with crash test from when the parameters come from the Dallara experience in the calculation software, has been are set to the moment when the terms of engineering and production deeply interested in the question and conclusions are drawn? in order to find a solution that can not we started a successful co-operation F.G.: Usually it all start from the only pass a crash test but also be with them. aerodynamics department as they functionally optimized (aero, weights, F.G.: The simulation today has a key define the crash structure or at least cost…). ➔ 5 LA NOVITÀ Do you believe that the current lateral structures. The Grand Am series How expensive is it to organize a crash standards are sufficient for all the has lateral and rear protection while test? racing series or there are cases that the frontal impact protection relies on F.G.: It's difficult to estimate the cost of should require tougher tests? some of the car's front components.

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