http://www.planetf1.com/driver/18227/7426788/-Ferrari-chassis-failed-FIA-test- Ferrari's bid to challenge for this year's World titles reportedly took a knock when their 663 failed its crash tests. A new regulation this season is that all chassis must pass the mandatory FIA crash tests before they can take part in pre-season testing. But, according to Finland's Turun Sanomat, Ferrari's 2012 chassis, dubbed the 663, failed on its first attempt. This meant it was back to the drawing board for Ferrari, who had to reinforce the structure before the second attempt at the tests. That test is reportedly scheduled for the coming week with Ferrari then set to unveil their new car on February 3rd before testing kicks off on the 7th.
sorry, I'm a bit confused (again) I thought it took weeks to build a car from scratch. If they need to do a redesign, construct that car, crash test it and build more, how are they going to get all that done in 3 weeks.
I see this as bad news. What else needs to be changed to make it pass. Hopefully the failure was marginal.
Beg to differ - This is close to a major problem - It means that at least their CAD system (presumably CATIA?) got it wrong..... And; This "theory" was postulated here a while back - AFAIK, the carbon needs up to ~24 hours in the oven after ~ the same in labor to lay up. [Obviously, this varies hugely depending on the part(s) that are being made.] They don't need a "new car", just a new tub that I suspect will be substantially stronger in the area it failed than previously. It's a PITA, but not a disaster unless it fails again. Cheers, Ian
It's a bit early to be panicking just yet as I see it! I'm pretty sure Ferrari will have this all sorted and remain on schedule, especially as the FIA will have pointed out exactly what improvements need to be made in order to pass the test.
No. What's in CAD isn't reality, and we don't know enough about these things to simulate it that correctly. When you're on the very edge of tolerances and such and you can't afford too much safety margin, you end up with some failures. Also, laying CF isn't exactly repeatable science yet either. That's why you actually test. Like CFD vs wind tunnel.
Seems every year, a handful of chassis bomb their first few rounds of tests, yet manage fine in the end. Non-issue, imo.
Easily, if you are building every part. But they only have to rebuild the chassis. My guess, from a tiny bit of experience seeing these things built, is it's 4-5 days on full assault to put out a new tub from the drawings. I imagine it only takes a day or so (depending how much simulation time) to modify the drawings to add reinforcement.
Mercedes' nose last year failed. Doesn't mean much right now unless it keeps failing and they have to redesign things.....
Like the old Lotus theory that a properly designed car should fall to pieces just past the finish line?
Thank...... [With apologies in advance to Steve ] . . . . Mad Max. And Professor Sid. While Max went certifiably crazy towards the end (similar to JMB) he does deserve a lot of the credit for safety improvements during his tenure. Cheers, Ian
Think of it as a pre-season "update". They will be on track, I can't imagine the pressure on the Scuderia this season. So many changes to the team behind the scenes, and two drivers that still have a lot to prove. Alonso has out driven the car for two years and wants that WDC, and Massa who needs to find some form quickly or be out of a job. Best wishes to SF in 2012.
Ferrari pasa definitivamente el Crash-Test de la*FIA Ferrari ha pasado los crash-test de la FIA para homologar el chasis esta semana, después de que fallaran en su primer intento en el mes de Diciembre. El test fue realizado el pasado martes en Bollate (Milán), donde el monocasco tuvo que ser recubierto en alguna parte con láminas de carbono para ser reforzado, a pesar de ello el chasis homologado se muestra muy ligero y la pérdida de rendimiento es escasa.C