Scott:
The way the current Aluminum seats are installed within a NASCAR race car
you are correct. The Carbon fiber seats would not work. Nobody would be so
stupid as to install a different seat material the same way as aluminum!
They would build a sub-frame to support the seat. It is not very difficult
to do that.
Aluminum is not the right seat with enough padding! That is plain dumb! It
is like saying if you wear enough layers of cotton you don't need a 7 layer
race suit! Each part is designed to do a specific job and do it well. The
Aluminum seat has past its useful life. It is time it were replaced with a
much safer and multiple times stronger material.
Larry Joffe
-->
--> Larry.
--> Unsupported composite seats whether carbon or
--> fiberglass both fail. Aluminum seats unsupported
--> deflect, not fail. In a stock car cockpit, there is
--> very little you can secure a composite seat to.
--> Formula cars utilize the tub to stiffen the seat.
--> You have an apples and oranges discussion going
--> on here. Carbon is not a magic bullet. It is one
--> component of a composite material. Composites
--> (I'm getting really simple here) are made of rags
--> and glue. the rags absorb the loads along their
--> fiber direction and the glue absorbs the off axis loads
--> such as BENDING. Bending is the mode of seat failure
--> you are mentioning here and quick look will show you that
--> matrix failures (glue) are MUCH more common than
--> fiber failures. The metal seat is probably a better
--> choice in the long run, even better when you foam
--> the driver into it.....
-->
--> Scott Correa
--> >
--> >Paul:
--> >
--> >I have to disagree with you 100%! The carbon fiber racing
--> seats will NOT
--> >shatter as you think. It takes the impact and absorbs
--> it, it deflects
--> >the
--> >impact around the driver and does not allow the impact to
--> concentrate on
--> >any
--> >one area, it spreads it out.
--> >
--> >Carbon fiber is one of the strongest materials made, why
--> do you think it
--> >would shatter? It is a woven fabric, how is it going to shatter?
--> >
--> >The reason(s) NASCAR won't allow it into their cars is
--> pretty simple.
--> >NASCAR wants to cars to remain behind the times with both
--> chassis and
--> >engine
--> >and safety technology. They want to remain "the good 'ole
--> boys" of old.
--> >They like that rough and tumble image that is portrayed by
--> the media. They
--> >don't want the clean cut image of F1 and CART. Those
--> series are both
--> >referred to as "circus's", something that NASCAR does not
--> want to associate
--> >with.
--> >
--> >The banning of carbon fiber seats has nothing to do with
--> costs. It is
--> >strictly NASCAR steering clear of new technology. Any
--> time someone tries
--> >something new, it gets turned down and has always been
--> turned down. Others
--> >have already pointed out too many times when NASCAR
--> refuses to get with the
--> >times when it comes to safety.
--> >
--> >In a crash if a piece of front suspension is directed
--> towards the cockpit
--> >of
--> >an F1 or CART car, what sort of seat would you rather be
--> sitting in?
--> >Aluminum or Carbon Fiber? Me? Carbon Fiber! A carbon
--> fiber suspension
--> >part will most certainly go right through an aluminum seat
--> like cutting
--> >through butter. If aluminum is so much stronger than
--> Carbon Fiber then why
--> >are the suspension pieces made from carbon fiber in F1?
--> Because it is that
--> >much stronger than aluminum or any other material that
--> could be used. I am
--> >not saying that NASCAR should switch to exotic materials,
--> that is not what
--> >the series is about. They should allow a driver to use
--> ANY safety device
--> >they feel is warranted for their own well being. It will
--> not create an
--> >unfair advantage over the rest of the field. All of the
--> cars MUST weigh
--> >2,400 pounds, so they would have to add an extra pound or
--> two to make
--> >weight
--> >anyway. Who is it hurting by Scott Pruett wanting to use
--> a Carbon Fiber
--> >seat? It is actually hurting NASCAR's own head in the
--> sand image that they
--> >have the safest cars in all of racing!
--> >
--> >Larry Joffe
--> >
--> >
--> >--> I don't think they prohibit carbon fiber race seats due to
--> >--> cost. I think
--> >--> they prohibit them because a heck of a lot of drivers
--> got hurt with
--> >--> fiberglass seats before the aluminum seats appeared. I
--> >--> personally think that
--> >--> metal is a better substance to make a seat from than either
--> >--> fiberglass or
--> >--> carbon fiber because it won't shatter. Besides, I think the
--> >--> primary reason
--> >--> they make seats from the latter two materials is due to
--> >--> weight not that they
--> >--> are safer than other materials. So in this particular
--> >--> regard I believe
--> >--> NASCAR is actually doing the "right thing".
--> >-->
--> >--> Paul Foster
--> >-->
-->
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