Impact Attenuation Devices for Racing1

Preliminary development and testing has been conducted on two energy-absorbing safety devices for racing circuits, termed the Fitch Inertial Barrier and the Compression Barrier. The first is an array of sacrificial modules, filled with sand and/or water progressively weighted. It is a racing version...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fitch, John, Goodwin, Carl, Alberson, Dean C, Bullard, D. Lance
Format: Report
Language:English
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:Preliminary development and testing has been conducted on two energy-absorbing safety devices for racing circuits, termed the Fitch Inertial Barrier and the Compression Barrier. The first is an array of sacrificial modules, filled with sand and/or water progressively weighted. It is a racing version of inertial barriers used for 30 years on highways in 50 States. In its test, the Inertial Barrier recorded a 4.7 average G deceleration in 36 feet, compared with a 70 G deceleration for a car hitting a concrete barrier head-on with 2.3′ of crush. In the test of the compression barrier, 15 avg. longitudinal Gs were recorded in less than 3 feet of energy-absorption. It reduced the speed of the car by nearly half and reduced rebound by 5 degrees. The barrier self-restored after impact.
ISSN:0148-7191
2688-3627
DOI:10.4271/983063