roon wrote: ↑03 Dec 2017, 00:07
Aside from the cameras and safety lights, is the halo the only other spec part on these cars? Teams can add a 20mm thick "sleeve" of an shape they like, to what is, underneath, a spec part coming from an outside supplier (who?). Seems odd that the FIA and their supplier can't or won't produce a non-circular section tube for this application. Surely a high aspect ratio ovoid or airfoil section could be engineered crash-worthy for this application. Upon which the teams could add their minor additions.
So the halo itself is a spec part which is being rolled out in all FIA single seater competitions, F1 and F2 getting it in 2018, while Formula 3 and 4 will have to wait until the next chassis cycle in a few years. It is a titanium structure which is manufactured by an external supplier (AFAIK they've not announces who) at a cost of $30,000 per unit (or €30,000 I can't recall which), which is not being subsidised by the FIA so is an expense the teams have to absorb. Not an issue in F1, but potentially more so lower down the single seater ladder. I think a season drive in F3 costs drivers ~$500,000 and F2 well over $1,000,000.
I'm not sure how thick the halo is or what the wall thickness is, but I assume it is formed from pipe bending a tube, then the central pillar is welded on; similar to the initial design the FIA tested...
I have no idea how the front pillar is formed, but it looks like there's a lot of welding on the sides.
Assuming that manufacturing technique I'm not sure if they could use hydroforming or something to create an aerofoil shape from the round bar hoop, unless that is just not possible with the wall thickness of titanium they need for the load cases they tested. You wouldn't want an aerofoil shape to wrap all the way around so what would result would be quite a complex shape too, so I would guess the reason it's a constant thickness bar is for ease of manufacture - but then allowing teams a bit of leeway to tailor the halo to their cars.
