Helmet aerodynamic apendages?

[PlatinumZealot]

Is it allowed to have flow conditioners sprouting from the driver's helmet into the flow stream?

[N12ck]

im just imagining bunny ears sticking up from helmets, imagine the forces involved when u turn a corner, the drag on your bunny ears on your helmet, it would hinder a driver and therefore be ineffective, and imagine a wing on top of a helmet, crushing your head into your spine,,,, painful, i dont think it would be a good idea, the only thing i can think would be good is simply drag reducing helmets,

[Javert]

Let's include a diffuser in the helmet.

You would be the fastest guy on the grid. Your head would explode, but what's life when you got DOWNFORCE ?

[wesley123]

what downforce? an diffuser barely generates any downforce without its ground effect

[LegendaryM]

would vanes on a helmet generate any significant force?

[N12ck]

No, however they would straighten the flow

[LegendaryM]

Yeah, cos i was thinking, a downward force due to a wing on their helmet would be bad for their spine etc. but any sideways forces due to turning vanes would be nowhere near g-forces in cornering

[N12ck]

however they wouldnt help, as you get enough g forces, and more force added on, say its a 100mph corner,,, think about sticking your hand out of a window while your in a car and think of that at 100mph, on your neck, it could put extra unneeded force on your neck.

[gridwalker]

Aerodynamic forces acting upon rigidly mounted devices are hard enough to model, without the added instability of mounting them on the driver's helmet.

The helmet is an inherently unstable mounting point; not only does it move relative to the airflow, sometimes it has to move contrary to the airflow. Do you think that a driver will worry about the aerodynamic effect on his car if he has to move his head to see an opponent?

If your car is sensitive enough to benefit from a helmet mounted device, you're not going to win any races. That machine will be a DOG.

[N12ck]

Aerodynamic forces acting upon rigidly mounted devices are hard enough to model, without the added instability of mounting them on the driver's helmet.

The helmet is an inherently unstable mounting point; not only does it move relative to the airflow, sometimes it has to move contrary to the airflow. Do you think that a driver will worry about the aerodynamic effect on his car if he has to move his head to see an opponent?

If your car is sensitive enough to benefit from a helmet mounted device, you're not going to win any races. That machine will be a DOG.

+1

agree completely

[PlatinumZealot]

I was thinking to constrain the movement of the helmet. Like putting some rests on the side of the helmet so it cannot move downwards:

[N12ck]

think about if the driver wants to look in his mirrors, he cant move his head! and apart from that you then have the issue if there is a crash, he might not be able to remove his head or body from the car, i think this idea on safety grounds should go no further

[PlatinumZealot]

Yes he should be able to swivel his head freely. Even under high down force. Think of the thrust bearing in the fork of a bicycle; it can hold hundreds of pounds but yet it can rotated freely. Same concept here.

The rests would be slightly ramped to the back so that under braking there is a wedge action preventing the driver's head from sliding forward.

To egress, the driver simply stands up. No problem. It is simply a thrust surface.

[bhall]

I think the last thing a driver would want is to have his head supported directly in any way by the car. With the forces involved, even a slight deviation from intended body positioning could easily be catastrophic. If his lap belt were to fail, or his body similarly shift for any reason, his head, secured by the chinstrap of his helmet, wouldn't move along with him. That's a recipe for a severe c-spine injury, which could paralyze him or worse.

[PlatinumZealot]

That assumption is not necessarily true. You can design the spring constant and damping ratio of the bearing surface to cancel out any excessive vibrations. You can even has the aerodynamic parts as a floating assembly on the helmet.

In fact the driver's head would move at a more similar speed as the rest of his body. Wasn't there a sport or racing series where the driver's helmet is strapped to the car?