Safety simulation
Throughout his career, Chas Howe of racecar constructor, Howe Racing Enterprises, has taken the initiative in the interest of his customers to continually improve the safety of his cars.
In 2000, he worked with GM Racing’s safety programme on the development of an ASA ‘Safety Demonstrator Car.’
That work was carried out with GM’s Tom Gideon, who went on to be the safety director at NASCAR’s R&D Center.
‘When we introduced this car, our previous experience came from oval track cars such as ASA,’ notes Howe. ‘Road racing is more demanding of the car in nearly every way. Oval accidents are more frequent, but road racing accidents tend to be more severe.
‘In oval track racing, the difference in speed from straight to corner is small enough to stay in one gear, and the walls provide glancing angles, but in road racing, you may go from 170mph down to 50 and downshift three times. If your brakes fail, it is like falling from the sky and losing your parachute.
‘We have changed materials, design and welding processes to improve the chassis, but the most significant safety gains come from preventing the causes. So, we beefed up the brakes, steering and suspension and emphasised maintenance.
‘You must be careful not to overreact to one type of accident and trade risk for another,’ Howe continues.
An example of an incremental improvement was shown at December’s PRI Show in Indianapolis. After a crash by a competitor’s car at the Atlanta TA2 race last year, the Howe team thought of ways to increase protection on the driver’s side, and turned to simulation to model it.
Chas’ son, Charlie, initiated a computer simulation of the side impact on their chassis and reported, ‘This simulation is far beyond any real-world accident we have seen. However, this data established a baseline for the potential failure points and energy transmitted to the driver.’
After several iterations, Howe junior found ‘a practical improvement for one type of accident that is lightweight and low cost. The simulations showed that adding a well supported, four-inch thick Impaxx foam block to the foot box, along with a thicker base plate and support bar, reduces chassis damage and energy transition to the driver.’
Needless to say, this practical safety enhancement will be added to all new Howe cars built, and offered for retrofitting into existing cars.