This document discusses the use of composite materials in motorsports to design and manufacture the fastest and safest racing cars. It provides details on Dallara's safety testing and validation processes to ensure their racing cars meet stringent safety requirements. Composite materials allow the construction of lighter yet stronger structures that can absorb more energy during crashes to enhance occupant protection.

1. 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 1

2. “We wish to design and
manufacture the fastest and
the safest racing cars in the
world”
09/05/2012 2

3. 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 3

4. DALLARA RACE CARS
IndyCar GP2 Renault World Indylight
Series 3.5
GP3 F3 Formulino Grand-Am
09/05/2012 4

5. AUTOMOTIVE CONSULTANCIES
KTM X-Bow Bugatti Veyron 16.4
Alfa 8C Maserati MC12
09/05/2012 5

6. 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
09/05/2012 6

7. DESIGN OFFICE
09/05/2012 7

8. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
09/05/2012 8

9. AERODYNAMICS:
2 WIND TUNNELS and CFD
09/05/2012 9

10. VEHICLE DYNAMIC : MULTIBODY ANALYSIS
09/05/2012 10

11. INDOOR TESTING - SEVEN POSTER RIG
09/05/2012 11

12. OUTDOOR TESTING - TRACK SUPPORT
09/05/2012 12

13. R&D: DRIVING SIMULATOR
09/05/2012 13

14. 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
09/05/2012 14

15. HISTORY - CHASSIS EVOLUTION
Continue
evolution…
80s - composite
70s - aluminium monocoque
monocoque with
bonded and riveted
panels
09/05/2012 60s - Steel tubes 15

16. INDYCAR 2012 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS AND
HOMOLOGATION TESTS
09/05/2012 16

17. 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
09/05/2012 17

18. 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)
09/05/2012 18

19. 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)
09/05/2012 19

20. SAFETY STRUCTURES – NOSE BOX
Crash 1 Crash 2
09/05/2012 20

21. SAFETY STRUCTURES – NOSE BOX
Crash nose box 2
Crash nose box 1
09/05/2012 21

22. 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
09/05/2012 22

23. 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
09/05/2012 23

24. SAFETY STRUCTURES – REAR IMPACT STUCTURE
Crash RIS
09/05/2012 24

25. SAFETY STRUCTURES – REAR IMPACT STUCTURE
Video Billy Boat
09/05/2012 25

26. 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
09/05/2012 26

27. SAFETY STRUCTURES – MAIN ROLL HOOP
Video Franchitti
09/05/2012 27

28. SIDE STATIC TEST #1
 No structural failure
 max deflection = 15 mm
3.000 kg – 6.610 lbs
Where “tethered”
front wheel would impact
09/05/2012 28

29. SIDE STATIC TEST #2
 No structural failure
 max deflection = 15 mm
3.000 kg – 6.610 lbs
09/05/2012 29

30. COCKPIT RIM TEST
 No structural failure
 max deflection = 20 mm
1.500 kg – 3.300 lbs
@ 250 mm from rear edge of cockpit opening
09/05/2012 30

31. FUEL TANK SIDE TEST
 No structural failure
1.500 kg – 3.300 lbs
Through the center of the fuel tank
09/05/2012 31

32. FUEL TANK BOTTOM TEST
Through the center of the fuel tank
1.250 kg
 No structural failure
09/05/2012 32

33. 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
09/05/2012 33

34. SAFETY STRUCTURES – SECONDARY ROLL HOOP
Front Roll Hoop
09/05/2012 34

35. 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
09/05/2012 35

36. SAFETY STRUCTURES – SIDE CRASH PANEL
Video Hildebrand
09/05/2012 36

37. 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
09/05/2012 37

38. 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
09/05/2012 38

39. A LONG CFRP CALCULATION HISTORY
2011
Crash of
racing cars
2008
Crash box with
FE approach
2005
Crash test of
full scale
vehicle with
carbon fiber
2004 chassis
Specific tools
2000
Crash box
1998
First analyses on carbon
1985 chassis
09/05/2012 First carbon chassis 39

40. COMPOSITE MATERIALS : HIGH PERFORMANCE
Absorbed energy for different materials
90
Carbon woven Carbon UD
80
70
Specific energy absorption [J/g]
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…)
09/05/2012 40

41. COMPOSITE MATERIALS : HIGH PERFORMANCE
FLWB in CFRP: Crash Cone in CFRP:
Displacement in cornering loadcase: 0.168 mm Energy absorption: 110000 J
Weight: 1.31 kg Weight: 4.6 kg
FLWB in Steel: Crash Cone in Aluminium:
Displacement in cornering loadcase: 0.165mm Energy absorption: 110000 J
Weight: 2.29 kg Weight: 7.8kg
09/05/2012 41

42. 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.
09/05/2012 42

43. CASE STUDY: IR12 CHASSIS ANALYSIS
Phase 1
cleanup&mesh
Phase 2
Phase 4 materials&properties
post-processing
Hypermesh
Phase 3
post-processing
Laminate Tools HyperLaminate and
Laminate Tools
09/05/2012 Hyperview 43

44. CASE STUDY:MODEL BUILD UP
09/05/2012 44

45. CASE STUDY: BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
Load applied through
1D elements
Fixed at the engine
mountings
09/05/2012 45

46. CASE STUDY: PLY-BY-PLY ANALYSIS
Lay-up
summary
Ply-by-ply stress tensors
Tsai-Wu
failure index
Tsai-Wu
reserve factor
09/05/2012 46

47. CASE STUDY:
DRAPING AND MANUFACTURING CONTROL
09/05/2012 47

48. 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
09/05/2012 48

49. WHAT HAPPENS IN A DYNAMIC SCENARIO?
Dynamic Phenomena on CFRP
• Failure criteria
• Damages
• Failure propagation
• Inertial phenomena
• Instability
• Delamination
• Energy absorption
• Strain rate effect
09/05/2012 49

50. DYNAMIC SCENARIO: FIRST APPROACH
Dallara routine :
• Good correlation
• Simple geometry (i.e.: F1 crash box)
• No buckling
• No bending
09/05/2012 50

51. 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
09/05/2012 51

52. 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
09/05/2012 52

53. DALLARA AND ALTAIR
-
CASE STUDY: CRASH BOX STRUCTURE
09/05/2012 53

54. DEVELOPMENT OF THE APPLICATIONS
Crash IndyCar
09/05/2012 54

55. DEVELOPMENT OF THE APPLICATIONS
Top view
Top view
09/05/2012 55

56. THE BEST SATISFACTION
“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
Kenny Brack 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 56