By Jeff Karoub
Small Times Staff Writer
Aug. 23, 2001 — Small tech will play a larger role in auto racing safety following the results of a probe into the February car crash that killed NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt.
As part of its investigation of the crash, NASCAR said Tuesday it will install black box-like devices in its cars next season.
The so-called black box, a name borrowed from flight data and cockpit voice recorders used on aircraft, is mounted in the cockpit of the car and uses MEMS-based sensors to record the force and direction of impact in an accident. The collected information helps racing teams and medical professionals better understand driver tolerances.
The stock-car racing organization will join the Indy Racing League and CART in employing the technology. Ford and General Motors have supplied the black-box technology to the two racing leagues for several years.
Officials with NASCAR could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but a Ford Racing Technology spokesman said the automaker has talked to NASCAR about the sensor technology, which Ford calls the “blue box.”
“I don’t think NASCAR has decided on a partner,” Kevin Kennedy said. “They’ve seen (the blue box) and understand what it is.
“If they ask for assistance, that’s great. We’re more than willing to help, especially in the areas of safety.”
Ford is CART’s “official safety technologies provider,” and the blue box is one the main parts of that partnership. Kennedy said the blue boxes have been useful in reconstructing crashes in races.
The box weighs 2.2 pounds, and is 4 inches long, 4 inches wide and 2 inches high.
Ford also has worked with teams from CART and Indy on other small technologies, such as tire pressure sensors and engine management systems, which provide the pit crew with continuous data on RPMs, engine temperatures and fuel mileage.
“The information is beamed right back to the pits live — they’re seeing it on computer screens,” he said.
“Technically, they can bring you down to the last cup of fuel before they bring you in for a pit stop.”
Kennedy said Ford works with NASCAR on engine, chassis and aerodynamic technology development, but the racing league has banned the use of sensors and other technology for what is called real-time telemetry.
He said the main reason is economics: Such technologies can drive up the cost of the cars and NASCAR is “trying to keep the little guy in the sport,” Kennedy said.
NASCAR also has been loath to install black boxes and other sensor devices because the technology is harder to regulate, he said.
“They have a harder time policing things like traction control, which is illegal,” he said.
The NASCAR probe found that a broken seat belt was a factor in Earnhardt’s death. Investigators found that the seat belt separated under load, but the belt maker insisted after NASCAR released its findings that the belt was not properly installed.
Investigators discussed the idea of installing load transducers — sensors in the fabric of the seat belt attached to an input channel in the black box that could measure the load in the belts during a crash.
They also talked about sensors attached to the steering wheel and throughout the vehicle that would reveal where the loads go during a crash, but one of the investigators said such a system would be extremely expensive.
“We have a lot more practical ways to improve safety before that,” said Dr. Dean Sicking, an investigator and director of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska. “In the far distant future, that might be possible.”
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CONTACT THE AUTHOR:
Jeff Karoub at [email protected] or call 734-528-6291.