Alternative head protection through helmet - aeroscreen free

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Manoah2u
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Joined: 24 Feb 2013, 14:07

Alternative head protection through helmet - aeroscreen free

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So, i've seen some amazing designs, but a question still remains. Why won't we just focus on the helmet?
Offcourse this is restricted in many ways, but perhaps the way we look at the helmet needs some changing.

The helmet has made amazing improvements over decades and decades, on absolutely phenomenal levels,
from safety to aerodynamics etc.

the helmet protection possibilities offcourse are limited to a number of things, most of them being based upon weight and size. The helmet must fit in a f1 car, must maintain manouvrebility and be light enough not to damage the driver's neck, vertabreas, etc, AND must be snug and fit yet absorb impacts.

The impact absorbtion capabilities offcourse are restricted to that it can't squash the driver's head. so there's a limit.
but perhaps there are ways to radically change how helmets are used in f1 cars.

the neck of the driver for example is being protected from excessive movement throug the HANS device, connected to the helmet. this is an important safety device that can't be removed, but it's implementation can be changed.
the why will become clear in this post soon.

instead being connected to the helmet, there might be the possibility to connect it to the jaw and chin of the driver, and forehead, through a more advanced balaclawa [the face burn mask], so that it frees the driver from needing a helmet to restrict excessive head movement in case of rapid decelleration [so the neck won't snap].

so here comes why; what if we can replace the drivers helmet from being worn, to being 'carried' by the car itself?
there are various ways here, from being an immovable 'shell' in which the driver is able to move around it's head in complete freedom like in any regular car, with his view only obstructed by the visor [which can be wider to the sides], to a device that has some mechanical assistance in moving along with the driver's focus, for example, through the driver wearing google-glass like [hightech] lenses that communicates with the 'helmet' that then is able to move on the x and y axis.

you could see it as this; a [fighter pilot] wearing glasses that control a gun by looking where he wants to, and the gun aiming at the same focus point as the operator. instead of having a gun, have a helmet around the head of the driver.

this offcourse is far more costly but interestingly opens possibilities for 'top level engineering' which could actually help aviation progress and advancements.

as for the 'solid' helmet function, look at it like the f1 pilot takes a seat in his car, and then puts a cover over his head, the shape of a helmet.

the benefit from this is that you don't need no ugly aero screen and it really minimizes change in f1 design and format, and it makes it possible to have the helmet be a bit bigger and above all, much heavier so it can absorb much stronger shocks and forces, protecting the head. the driver is free to look around, and if the transparant visor is as wide as he can realistically look around him, and high enough to look up far enough, it would not hamper sight.
another benefit is that it is 'easily' removable, that the driver can simply unlock the hinges and remove it so he has the same escaping possibilities as they have now.
an aeroscreen or halo significantly hampers escape possibilities, especially when upside-down.

the negative then is that it's essentially a closed canopy on a smaller scale which then more or less raises the question; why not a full canopy instead?

some visual material for 'imagination'


this ferrari design more or less has this; imagine the helmet being static or more or less static. it can be opened like a canopy so the driver gets in and out, or removable completely and it clicks in a slit like the headrest does.

Image
Image

the helmet can for example also 'wrap' around the driver like the idea of the helmet of the alien space jockey

Image

finally, the other much simpler, cheaper and potentially far easier and less-impacting change would be to improve the hans device.

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the issue is for example with the aeroscreen and halo to protect drivers from loose wheels [how is that possible with the wheel tethers though, but ok]. a halo or aeroscreen would prevent this hitting the helmet.
but let's assume it can hit the helmet, how can we still protect the driver?

the issue if i'm correct is two points: impact absorbtion (will the blow cause damage in itself through transferring energy) and object rigidity.

the last thing is potentially the problem. what if we were to say the hans device can be developed so that not only does it rest on the shoulders of the driver, but also has a construction that connects to the car's head protection, and improve the helmet's strenght to deflect objects - read; instead of taking the energy out by absorbing it, rather be strong enough to have objects bounce off.

without a connection to the car's structure itself, the human body would absorb this, and that would prove very harmful. instead, if the helmet is supported to the hans device more thoroughly and firmly, and then when the driver sits in the car, that device/the hans device, is additionally connected to the car, then it's able to withstand more force as it becomes 'a whole'.

as for restricting driver movement; you could solve that by simply have the helmet be able to move 'freely' like they do now above a certain level [ height ], but when low enough, the helmet can't move downward more and then energy is then transferred from the helmet itself through it's support construction to the car's headrest.

let's say the helmet at the most front 'corners' of the helmet at the jawline has a spring [on either side] connected to the hans device, and that this makes it possible for free movement, but when a high-force impact occurs, the springs bottom out and restrict further movement but then the energy can be transferred/absorbed further not through the driver, but through where then the hans device makes a connection to the head protection/cockpit.

big post, many different ideas.
please read and share thoughts. personally, i think the final solution would be a good possibility.
"Explain the ending to F1 in football terms"
"Hamilton was beating Verstappen 7-0, then the ref decided F%$& rules, next goal wins
while also sending off 4 Hamilton players to make it more interesting"

marmer
1
Joined: 21 Apr 2017, 06:48

Re: Alternative head protection through helmet - aeroscreen free

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if the helmet could only drop to a certain level as to not crush the driver it must be held in place fairly substantially one would think.
currently a driver moves there head up and down left to right at the same time so the system used would have to be very flexible.
a potential draw back is not being able to get out in 5 seconds. this system would have to be able to detach from the body of the car for the driver to get out or be able to open itself up like in pictures shown.
i like the idea of a more protective helmet but going to this level seems like it might not be better than a closed cockpit. its either going to be weaker and more complected than a closed cockpit and still having the draw back of how do you get the driver out.
other than issues with drivers not being able to get out quickly the only current way to protect a driver from every impact is a closed cockpit.
the issue with cars being upside down and the drivers head being stuck i think is an non issue with a closed cockpit though. if the cockpit has survived the impact the drivers head will be fine.
if its a fire issue well if its closed and the cabin is fireproofed there would be reasonable amount of time before things become dangerous cars don't blow up like they used to look at the Renault that was throwing fuel on itself just burned on the outside quite calmly.
and how often does a car end up both upside down and on fire not that often most fires are caused by fuel leaks or engine blow ups which don't happen that often and not in an accident often.

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