SPEED AND SAFETY:
COMPOSITE MATERIALS IN MOTORSPORT
Altair Americas HTC – Detroit, May 16th 2012
Luca Pignacca
Chief Designer and EU Racing Business Leader
09/05/2012
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“We wish to design and
manufacture the fastest and
the safest racing cars in the
world”
09/05/2012
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Giampaolo,
Aside from my true affection for you as a person, I love you for the passion you put
into your work of leading a truly remarkable company, which in my opinion,
builds the best and most safe race cars in the world.
We all have carried heavy hearts this week, as we lost a great man to a tragic
accident. A great man, a great husband and father, a true Champion in every
sense. In my estimation, he was in the best and safest car he could have been in
to have a chance of surviving an incident of that magnitude, as evidenced by the
fact that others were able to escape with little injury given similar
dynamics. The fact of the matter is that God had determined that it was Dan's
time to join Him in heaven, and it was simply out of our human hands. I know
Dan appreciated all of the love, passion and pride you put into doing what you do,
and was proud to be part of the development of the new car with you.
We will all miss him and we will all come together to support his family in their
time of need, as we carry on in his memory.
Regards, Tony George
09/05/2012
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DALLARA RACE CARS
IndyCar
GP2
GP3
F3
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Renault World
Series 3.5
Formulino
Indylight
Grand-Am
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AUTOMOTIVE CONSULTANCIES
KTM X-Bow
Alfa 8C
09/05/2012
Bugatti Veyron 16.4
Maserati MC12
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COMPANY PRESENTATION
In a world of increasing competition and knowledge distribution, our company
strategy is focused on three areas of specialist knowledge:
1.Design and manufacturing
2.Aerodynamics
3.Vehicle Dynamics
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DESIGN OFFICE
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STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
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AERODYNAMICS:
2 WIND TUNNELS and CFD
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VEHICLE DYNAMIC : MULTIBODY ANALYSIS
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INDOOR TESTING - SEVEN POSTER RIG
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OUTDOOR TESTING - TRACK SUPPORT
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R&D: DRIVING SIMULATOR
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TECHNOLOGY: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SPEED
AND SAFETY
Low speed - High risk
High speed - Low risk
"It is all about probabilities. You can never make it safe. F1 is not safe but you can do a lot of work to
reduce the probability of somebody getting hurt.”
Max Mosley
Former FIA President
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HISTORY - CHASSIS EVOLUTION
Continue
evolution…
70s - aluminium
monocoque with
bonded and riveted
panels
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60s - Steel tubes
80s - composite
monocoque
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INDYCAR 2012 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS AND
HOMOLOGATION TESTS
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NOSE PUSH OFF TEST
After 30 seconds of application:
 no failure of the structure
 no failure of any attachment
between the structure and the
survival cell.
4.000 kg – 8.810 lbs
@ midpoint between nose tip and chassis front bulkhead
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FRONTAL CRASH TEST #1
no damage to the monocoque
no failure of any attachment of
safety belts and fire ext.
Peak deceleration over the first
150 mm < 10 g
Average trolley deceleration < 80 g
Peak deceleration > 80 g for max
10 ms
Total trolley weight = 900 kg – 1982 lbs
Impact speed = 12 m/s
Impact energy = 65 kJ
Dummy weight = 75 kg
Fuel tank = full of water (18,5 US Gal – 154 lbs)
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FRONTAL CRASH TEST #2 (on the same crash cone of #1)
no damage to the monocoque
no failure of any attachment of
safety belts and fire ext.
Peak deceleration over the first
150 mm < 10 g
Average trolley deceleration < 40 g
Peak deceleration > 80 g for max
10 ms
Total trolley weight = 900 kg – 1982 lbs
Impact speed = 8,5 m/s
Impact energy = 33 kJ
Dummy weight = 75 kg
Fuel tank = full of water (18,5 US Gal – 154 lbs)
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SAFETY STRUCTURES – NOSE BOX
Crash 1
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Crash 2
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SAFETY STRUCTURES – NOSE BOX
Crash nose box 2
Crash nose box 1
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REAR IMPACT STRUCTURE PUSH OFF TEST
After 30 seconds of application:
 no failure of the structure
 no failure of any attachment
between the structure and the
survival cell.
4.000 kg – 8.810 lbs
@ mid point of rear impact structure
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REAR CRASH TEST
 no damage to the structures behind the
rear wheel axis
 Average trolley deceleration < 40 g
 Peak deceleration > 80 g for max 10 ms
Total trolley weight = 900 kg – 1.982 lbs
Impact speed = 11,85 m/s
Impact energy = 63 kJ
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SAFETY STRUCTURES – REAR IMPACT STUCTURE
Crash RIS
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SAFETY STRUCTURES – REAR IMPACT STUCTURE
Video Billy Boat
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MAIN ROLL HOOP TEST
11.980 kg – 26.400 lbs
Through the main
roll hoop structure
 No structural failure in a plane
100 mm – 4” below top of hoop
 max deformation = 2” along the
loading axis
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SAFETY STRUCTURES – MAIN ROLL HOOP
Video Franchitti
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SIDE STATIC TEST #1
 No structural failure
 max deflection = 15 mm
3.000 kg – 6.610 lbs
Where “tethered”
front wheel would impact
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SIDE STATIC TEST #2
 No structural failure
 max deflection = 15 mm
3.000 kg – 6.610 lbs
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COCKPIT RIM TEST
 No structural failure
 max deflection = 20 mm
1.500 kg – 3.300 lbs
@ 250 mm from rear edge of cockpit opening
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FUEL TANK SIDE TEST
 No structural failure
1.500 kg – 3.300 lbs
Through the center of the fuel tank
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FUEL TANK BOTTOM TEST
Through the center of the fuel tank
1.250 kg
 No structural failure
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SECONDARY ROLL HOOP TEST
7.500 kg – 16.520 lbs
On top of the dash bulkhead
(not requested by Indycar ,
specified by Dallara)
CALCULATION ONLY
 No structural failure
 max deformation = 2” along the
loading axis
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SAFETY STRUCTURES – SECONDARY ROLL HOOP
Front Roll Hoop
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SIDE CRASH LOADS TEST
 No structural failure
1.500 kg x 4 – 3.300 lbs x 4
6.000 kg tot – 13.215 lbs tot
on the side of the cockpit area
(not requested by Indycar ,
specified by Dallara)
CALCULATION ONLY
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SAFETY STRUCTURES – SIDE CRASH PANEL
Video Hildebrand
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SIDE ZYLON PANELS
Red area : 12 plies of Zylon (approx 5 mm thick)
Green area : 7 plies of Zylon (approx 3 mm thick
bonded on the monocoque sides after all the static tests
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DALLARA INDYCAR 2012 SAFETY CELL (MONOCOQUE)
Complete monocoque weight = 81 kg – 178 lbs
 Carbon composite sandwich structure with aluminium honey-comb core with side
Zylon panels
 Fabricated steel rool-hoop
 2 x CNC machined aluminium bulkheads (dash and pedals)
 Carbon composite seat back bulkhead
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A LONG CFRP CALCULATION HISTORY
2011
Crash of
racing cars
2008
Crash box with
FE approach
2005
2004
Specific tools
Crash test of
full scale
vehicle with
carbon fiber
chassis
2000
1998
Crash box
First analyses on carbon
chassis
First carbon chassis
1985
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COMPOSITE MATERIALS : HIGH PERFORMANCE
Absorbed energy for different materials
90
Carbon woven
80
Carbon UD
Specific energy absorption [J/g]
70
60
50
40
Stainless steel
30
20
10
Aluminium alloy
High strenght steel
0
0
50
100
150
200
250
Elastic modulus [GPa]
The designer can define shapes and materials which are new every time …
.. by using his creativity and a lot of material types (UD, clothes) fibers (T700,
T1000…) and “format” (GG200, GG630…)
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COMPOSITE MATERIALS : HIGH PERFORMANCE
FLWB in CFRP:
Displacement in cornering loadcase: 0.168 mm
Weight: 1.31 kg
Crash Cone in CFRP:
Energy absorption: 110000 J
Weight: 4.6 kg
FLWB in Steel:
Displacement in cornering loadcase: 0.165mm
Weight: 2.29 kg
Crash Cone in Aluminium:
Energy absorption: 110000 J
Weight: 7.8kg
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COMPOSITE MATERIALS : HIGH TECH
• Big experience and knowledge are required
• A lot of data necessary to do the analysis
• Physical phenomena very complex
KEY SYNERGIES WITH :
• The main raw material market suppliers, keeping us constantly informed about
CFRP new developments and solutions
• The main software developers to test and improve new calculation and
simulation tools
• The most reliable CFRP components suppliers including series manufacturing,
allowing us to adapt the component design to the proper manufacturing
technology.
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CASE STUDY: IR12 CHASSIS ANALYSIS
Phase 1
cleanup&mesh
Phase 2
materials&properties
Phase 4
post-processing
Hypermesh
Phase 3
post-processing
HyperLaminate and
Laminate Tools
Laminate Tools
09/05/2012
Hyperview
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CASE STUDY:MODEL BUILD UP
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CASE STUDY: BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
Load applied through
1D elements
Fixed at the engine
mountings
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CASE STUDY: PLY-BY-PLY ANALYSIS
Lay-up
summary
Ply-by-ply stress tensors
Tsai-Wu
failure index
Tsai-Wu
reserve factor
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CASE STUDY:
DRAPING AND MANUFACTURING CONTROL
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PROVEN METHOD
• Fibre and resin definition (strength, stiffness, resin content)
• Experimental data from traction and compression tests on different
directions
• Creation of the FE model
• Definition of the composite material card
• Loadcases definition and analysis performing
• Analysis results validation by testing of complete or partial samples
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WHAT HAPPENS IN A DYNAMIC SCENARIO?
Dynamic Phenomena on CFRP
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Failure criteria
Damages
Failure propagation
Inertial phenomena
Instability
Delamination
Energy absorption
Strain rate effect
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DYNAMIC SCENARIO: FIRST APPROACH
Dallara routine :
•
•
•
•
Good correlation
Simple geometry (i.e.: F1 crash box)
No buckling
No bending
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DYNAMIC SCENARIO: SECOND APPROACH
Material CARD
•
•
•
74 parameters
Different failure theories
Combination of different criteria
• Importance of the software house support
• Importance of being involved in the development
• Reliability of the software and of the testing laboratories
• Importance of the reasearch&development activities
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DALLARA AND ALTAIR
CRASH SIMULATION OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
• Altair and Dallara are working together to develop new tools for composite
structures crash simulation
• RADIOSS beta versions in use at Dallara
• Main focus = correlation between experimental data and simulation : broad Data
Base for both race cars and “super road cars”
• Design – simulate – make – test – correlate/validate : very fast “in house” process
Crash cone
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DALLARA AND ALTAIR
CASE STUDY: CRASH BOX STRUCTURE
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DEVELOPMENT OF THE APPLICATIONS
Crash IndyCar
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DEVELOPMENT OF THE APPLICATIONS
Top view
Top view
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THE BEST SATISFACTION
Kenny Brack
“I've had a long and good relationship with Dallara. I
won the world's largest motor race, the Indianapolis
500 in one of their chassis. But performance is not
the only thing Dallara think about. They are also
extremely safetyconscious. I drove one of their
chassis when I had the biggest accident in my
career at Texas Motor Speedway, when my car was
launched into the barriers at 220 miles per hour
while battling for the podium in the latest stages of
the race. The g-force of the impact was measured
an incredible 214 g's, as the car virtually exploded
from the impact. It was highest the highest g-force to
be recorded in an impact, ever. But the safety cell
was intact. The sheer energy from the impact left me
severely injured and hospitalized for 3 months. It's
not in the nature of motorsports to be "bulletproof",
but I am convinced that it was thanks to Dallara's
innovation and safety thinking that I lived to race
another day”.
KENNY BRACK
Former Indianapolis 500 Champion
09/05/2012
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