helmets' aerodynamics

[inspectah]

People go on and on about how every single aerodynamic detail has so significant influence in the cars speed, but nobody has paid any attention to the helmet the drivers wear. You would think that when every single vortex counts as much as people claim, then a giant blob shaking randomly about in the middle of the car would be something you should try to improve a little. I would like to know why nobody has even tried to do anything about the aerodynamics of the helmets? shure, some drivers have that little winglet at the rear of it, but thats all there is. In its self the helmet's shape seems to much more funktional than aerodynamically optimal. Anyway, that's just something that's been bothering me for quite some time now. Hopefully somebody can prove me wrong, or something.

[Monstrobolaxa]

Well....I wouldn't agree with you....back in 1996 when the high cockpit sides came into F1....helmet aerodynamics started being an importante subject! Bell came up with the Bell Vortex helmet....which would help the airflow into the airbox....which produced an extra 5hp!

The thing with helmets is that the helmet shape is the best shape to protect the head, disipating the enegy around the helmet. This has been studied by helmet manufacturers....and the thing is that you cannot do a revolution in helmet design! So teams have to cope with the idea that they will have to develop the car with the helmet, as a constant! Small gains can be reached with helmet developing...but the would be to expensive to test and develop.....at least for helmet manufacturers....the problem is that if a team paid to develop a special helmet they would spend a whole lot of money...and probably later on other teams would have their hands on that same technology for a smaller price.... So no one is interested in developing this kind of helmet....so when developing the car they'll try to make the helmet not interfere with the airflow to the air box.....sitting the driver in a very low position and the air box as high as the can make it.....

[inspectah]

...the problem is that if a team paid to develop a special helmet they would spend a whole lot of money...and probably later on other teams would have their hands on that same technology for a smaller price.... So no one is interested in developing this kind of helmet....

I agree with most parts, but this just isn't true. If it were like this, then no teams would invest any money in the development of their car, because other teams will rip the improvements off with less money.

[Monstrobolaxa]

Yes I agree with you....but the thing is that teams don't make their own helmets...they buy them from other companies that want to make profits....so they'll try to sell as many helmets as they can....even with new technologies the helmet company can sell them at a very high price.

When a team develops a car the oponents don't have the exact idea of how the part works....they will still loose a few weeks/months trying to understand and develop their own part (that might not even work)....

The thing is that when developing a car the oponents won«t have access to the technical data behind the part, and will loose a lot of time of coming up with their own data....while with the helmet...the manufacturer while have to have the helmet data (at least the construction data). Then after building it the oponents can just buy one of those helmets and simulate it....getteing the exact same data as the developer of it! Unless a multimillion dolar deal is signed with the manufacturer and he will keep the data to themselves.

Put in any case will a new helmet design give them a good enough gain/price ration?

My personal opinion is no....I think that teams would rather develop the car for the same gain/price ratio.

[inspectah]

but lets say you are a team like ferrari or mclaren, who already have more money than they can invest in the car development? Would'n it be worth it for them to give the helmet maker, say, 3 million euro's to further develop them a custom helmet? given that it would make a benefit of five hundreths of a second per lap? I'm shure the manufacturer wouldn't mind, and if they made a contract about that type of helmet, then nobody else would have acces to that type of helmet until they develop their own.
Plus I'm not absolutely sure all the drivers buy their helmets from the same manufacturers. Perhaps somebody will have better info on this?

[Monstrobolaxa]

3 million euros.....I don't think that is much at all....I would say that for 3 million dolars any other team would buy the idea to the helmet manufacturer.....I'd say for some kind of agreement to work it would have to be at least 10 million.

Well if it was worth a try I'd think someone would have already thought of it and tested it!!!

[West]

A while back in F1 Racing an R3 was painted according to the pressure distributions it developed. The top of the helmet is a low pressure area, meaning a driver's (hopefully Irvine's) neck was extended upward. And as mentioned before, the helmet is shaped to benefit the the flow going to the airbox.

MS's helmet supposedly can withstand a tank running over it and still be in one piece... in case tanks invade a Grand Prix.

[Monstrobolaxa]

Well suposedly...at the moment there at 2 drivers (Massa and Trulli) that are using a helmet that is 40% to 50% more efective then the previous version....which probably is stronger then any other helmet out there. But in any case is Schumys helmet withstands that...probably ever other helmet also withstands it...they have to pass the same tests in order to be authorized for F1 Racing. And at the moment only Massa and Trulli have a helmet the withstands the new helmet rulees that starts July 1 2004....so everyone is developing a new helmet the passes the 8860/2004 standard.

About the lower pressure sistem on top of the helmet....well if you have the 1999 Malasian GP watch it and pay attention to Johny Herbert on the long straights....you noticed that he was the mostly pulled driver...but if you pay attention to all driver on long straights you'l notice that efect.

[Reca]

I would like to know why nobody has even tried to do anything about the aerodynamics of the helmets?

Actually helmets makers do spend a lot of time in designing the helmet from an aerodynamic point of view, mainly the aim is to reduce the stress on the drivers neck (then improve efficiency of internal ventilation etc) but most also work in cooperation with teams to optimise the airflow in the area around it and to the air intake (I remember I read a paper about that I'll try to find it again). Not necessarily the aerodynamic study leads to something radically different, on the contrary, often the aim is to achieve the best possible result with the smallest modifications to the shape and that’s surely the case for an helmet since the imperative is safety. Just because the helmet doesn’t look extreme like the one used by the skiers in the 1 km downhill it doesn’t mean that its aerodynamics isn’t carefully evaluated. The current shape is probably the best compromise considering all the design requirements, the continuous movement of the head, and the current knowledge.


Obviously if in the next future a driver will use an helmet with a revolutionary shape I reserve the right to post here an enthusiastic message praising the brilliant design

[dumrick]

Furthermore to all that was said, let's remember that helmet manufacturers make contracts with drivers, not with teams. It's usual for a team to have 2 drivers wearing different makes, making it impossible for a team to integrate helmet design as a variable in wind tunnel testing.

[Rogue230]

MS used to tilt his head to one side while driving, was said to give an extra 5hp on the straights.

Later he wore an odd shaped helmet. When EI was asked about it he explained that it was because MS had 'an odd shaped head'!

[West]

My friends think he has a crooked nose and one eye is bigger than the other.

[Monstrobolaxa]

Schummy does in fact have one eye slightly bigger then the other!.....you can't see it in all pics...but I've seen a few where you can detect it.

[Mclaren11]

on shumi's helmet there is a little air intake on the top, what is that for?
also the new helmet design that shumi and dc are wearing can in fact be run over by a tank.

[Monstrobolaxa]

The air intakes that helmets usually have a<are used to cool down the interior of the helmet and the drivers head. If you look at touring car, Nascar, DTM, and other closed vehicle helmets (long races) the helmets have a refrigeration hose....Simpson makes these kind of helmets.


notice the strange thing on the side of the helmet....besides having the radio wiring in it it is also used for ventilation.

But in F1's case there is no possibility to use a helmet like this so....the smaller intakes are used.