PROPOSALS FOR 2008
3. CHASSIS
It is the intention of the Ford Motor Company Ltd to adopt new chassis regulations for 2008 onwards which meet new safety standards in line with MSA and FIA recommendations. Ford Motor Company, the MSA and the FIA are working towards a commonset of safety regulations for tubular steel single seat race cars and as soon as this investigation is complete and test the procedures confirmed we will communicate the regulations.
The test procedure will be broadly in line with current F3 chassis tests for roll structure static load tests, survival cell andfrontal protection (as per below) and side intrusion tests all modified to suit steel tubular chassis constructionsA unique front crash structure (crash box) will be mandatory and will be a single supply available from Formula Ford International.
• To test the attachments of the frontal impact absorbing structure to the survival cell, a static side load test shall be
performed on a vertical plane passing 400mm in front of the front wheel axis
• A constant transversal horizontal load of 30kN must be applied to one side of the impact absorbing structure using a pad, a pad 100mm long and 300mm high, with a maximum radius on all edges of 3mm. The centre of area of the pad must pass through the plane mentioned above and the mid point of the height of the structure at that section.
• After 30 seconds of application, no failure of the structure or of any attachment between the structure and the survival cell
• During the test the survival cell must be resting on a flat plate and secured to it solidly but not in a way that could increase the strength of the attachments being tested
• The survival cell forward of a transversal section 200mm to the rear of the front wheel axis, shall be subjected to an impact test against a solid vertical barrier placed at right angles to the centre line of the car.
• If such a part is tested separately from the rest of the survival cell it must be attached to the trolley in such a way that it does not increase the impact resistance of the structure being tested.
• For the purposes of this test, the total weight of the trolley and test structure shall be 560kg and the velocity of impact 12 metres/sec
•The resistance of the test structure must be such that during the impact the average deceleration of the trolley does not exceed 25g
• All structural damage must be contained in the zone ahead of the front wheel axis