Gravel Traps In Spain

[strad]

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The gravel in the gravel traps in Spain...I thought the FIA mandated size and all that,,but the stuff in Barcelona was big and to me seemed dangerous. I know I'm not one to knock on about safety but damn, if a tire sent one of them flying back at a following driver it could make Massa's spring seem mundane. Quite the projectile

[Websta]

how big were these stones that they could be more damaging than a 1kg suspension spring?

[beelsebob]

how big were these stones that they could be more damaging than a 1kg suspension spring?

pressure is directly proportional to weight and inversely proportional to contact area... Last I checked suspension springs are quite a lot bigger than lumps of gravel... Also, last I checked, they do some pretty substantial damage to F1 drivers too.

[Websta]

Gravel is also unlikely to be propelled at 200mph or be thrown onto a section of the track where there are such closing speeds given that most gravel traps are found after braking zones. The helmets would be able to deal with substantial gravel strikes I think

[Tim.Wright]

how big were these stones that they could be more damaging than a 1kg suspension spring?

The spring that took Massa out was 200g.

Tim

[strad]

They were not as big as the spring, but they are a lot more ballistic. Launched from under an accelerating tire it would do a lot of damage. I didn't save practice or qualifying where they were best on display, but they were probably about an inch to an inch an a half stones. Almost as big as a golf ball. Hardly gravel. Thought you would have noticed. You can down play it if you like, but it is dangerous. If you have followed any of my posts you know I don't cry danger very easily, but this definitely caught my attention. One to the face shield would shatter it and blind or kill you. The spring was just bouncing along and in fact decelerating. One of these large stones would be like a fired projectile.

[hollus]

I haven't really seen them, but you talking about 4cm wide "stones" got me thinking of LECA (Light Expanded Clay Aggregate). If that is the case, they are very light, more like pumice stone than like real stones, so not very heavy, probably not more than normal, smaller gravel stones.

I can't confirm that the gravel traps are indeed filled with LECA, but googling LECA and montmelo returns a bunch of hits about gravel traps in the circuit, but somehow only in spanish and only from not authoritative sources.

Edit: found it. It is probably LECA.
http://www.netweber.co.uk/uploads/media ... ars_wv.pdf

[Nando]

A tire won´t be able to send something flying unless you are spinning your tires above the gravel.

It will only send it up in the air and then the car behind travelling at 200km/h+ will take care of the velocity needed to probably go right through a visor.

[strad]

I wasn't clear...I meant when they drag and dump 20 lbs on the track after an off. There was a bunch of it in practice and qualifying. When they go thru they collect a lot which comes back on track with them...part of the idea of larger stones is that they don't sink in or flip like sand or small gravel. Then after dragging a bunch on track the next corner when they hit their brakes they launch more out of the sidepods.

[waynes]

maybe i've misread the op's post, but are you comparing being hit on the head by a 1kg spring, thats moving in the opposite direction to a vehicle approaching at 150mph plus, to a piece of gravel thats less than half the weight and would almost disintegrate on impact with anything like an F1 car?

quick, cancel the Spanish GP for not having golf bunkers

[strad]

either you're kidding or you haven't thought about what you said.

[myurr]

either you're kidding or you haven't thought about what you said.

If it was so obviously dangerous the FIA wouldn't allow it. If it is LECA then don't confuse size with weight or density, and therefore danger.

[george1981]

I've actually got a piece of gravel I collected from Barcelona when I saw the GP in 2001 and we were allowed access to the pitlane and bits of the circuit on a general admission ticket and I took it as a souvenier.
That piece of gravel was about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, and seemed to be natural stone not man made. If someone were to throw it at you it would hurt. I'll try to find it and post a photo.

[waynes]

either you're kidding or you haven't thought about what you said.

same could be said about the original post

[strad]

Not to downplay the spring, but it was going the same direction as Massa. It fell off a car and was slowing as it bounced back toward Massa and he overtook it...The stone would be shot out from under a spinning rear wheel and launched like a bullet at 2 or 300 MPH.