SAFER barrier
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Indianapolis_Motor_Speedway_Museum_in_2017_-_SAFER_barrier_cutaway.jpg/220px-Indianapolis_Motor_Speedway_Museum_in_2017_-_SAFER_barrier_cutaway.jpg)
The Steel And Foam Energy Reduction Barrier (SAFER Barrier), sometimes generically referred to as a soft wall, is a technology found on
The SAFER barrier consists of structural steel tubes welded together in a flush mounting, strapped in place to the existing concrete retaining wall. Behind these tubes are bundles of closed-cell polystyrene foam, placed between the barrier and wall. The theory behind the design is that the barrier absorbs a portion of the kinetic energy released when a race car makes contact with the wall. This energy is dissipated along a longer portion of the wall. The impact energy to the car and driver are reduced, and the car is likewise not propelled back into traffic on the racing surface.
The SAFER barrier also lessens damage to the car itself, thereby reducing repair costs. After its introduction in 2002, nearly every oval track on the IndyCar and NASCAR circuits had the device installed by 2005. Road and street tracks apply SAFER barriers on high speed cornering sections where space is limited.
The SAFER Barrier and its developers have won several awards within the racing and engineering community, including the
History
Throughout the decades of organized professional automobile racing, track owners and sanctioning bodies were constantly developing and attempting to utilize various devices to protect drivers and spectators in the event of a crash. Tire barriers, water and sand barrels, Styrofoam blocks, gravel traps, guardrails, earth embankments, and other various low-cost devices were implemented, with a varying level of success and usefulness. In most cases, the devices were practical for road and street courses, but impractical, or particularly inappropriate for oval tracks.
Oval tracks typically were constructed with reinforced concrete walls around the entire perimeter of the track (and along all or parts of the inside perimeters). The high speeds of oval track racing required strong walls to prevent cars from leaving the racing surface and protect spectators alike, primarily due to centrifugal force. Early years saw metal guardrails on the outside perimeters at some oval tracks, but their limitations, maintenance needs, and sometimes troublesome results saw them completely phased out by the late 1980s. The concrete walls generally showed favorable protection for spectators, and even against large NASCAR stock cars, routinely held up nearly unscathed during crashes. They also usually required minimal maintenance. However, the hard surface and unforgiving nature of the walls were prone to cause injury to the drivers in a crash.
In the later years of the 20th century, sharply increasing speeds and several high-profile fatal accidents accelerated the need and public outcry for safety improvements at the track level.[3] The undesirable results or outright failures of existing safety devices required the need for a full-scale research and development of a new device.
Throughout the 1970s–1990s,
PEDS Barrier
The precursor to the SAFER Barrier was developed in 1998. The Polyethylene Energy Dissipating System (or PEDS Barrier) was developed by the Indy Racing League and retired GM engineer John Pierce at Wayne State University. The device consisted of PE cylinders mounted upright along the concrete wall, covered with plates of the same material, overlapping each other in the direction of travel. The plates' mounting pattern resembled scales on a fish.
The PEDS barrier was installed on a trial basis at the
Though the barrier was credited with saving Luyendyk from serious injury,[6][7] it was deemed mostly a failure due to the flaws that were exposed with the design. A slightly updated version (PEDS-2) was installed for a trial basis for the 1999 Indianapolis 500, but after driver Hideshi Matsuda impacted it, another major flaw (the tendency to "catch and pivot") was exposed. The barrier was removed soon after.
SAFER Barrier
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/SaferBarrierTalladega.jpg/220px-SaferBarrierTalladega.jpg)
After the mixed results with the PEDS Barrier, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway contacted engineers at the
With the primary goal of reducing driver impact, the project also had the following objectives:
- A device that would have a flush surface – to prevent "catch and pivot" or "wrapping" scenarios.
- A device that would be able to be retro-fitted to the existing concrete walls at the multitude of speedways across the country, which each had varying existing conditions.
- Prevent the car from bouncing back to the racing surface and into oncoming traffic.
- Be able to withstand both open wheel Indy cars and heavy NASCAR stock cars (since many tracks hosted both series)
- A device that could easily be repaired after impact – preventing lengthy delays during an event.
- Cost-effectiveness
The SAFER Barrier development was completed in the spring of 2002, and was first installed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2002, in time for the 2002 Indianapolis 500. It was first "tested" by Robby McGehee in a crash during the first day of practice.
After successful usage at Indianapolis, the system began to be installed at several other tracks nationwide. By 2006, every oval facility that hosted an
An interesting challenge was presented with
The barrier received its first road course usage when Watkins Glen International adopted the SAFER barrier for key sections of the circuit, most notably in the bus stop chicane and Turn 11 for 2010. International road and street track adoption for the SAFER barrier has progressed gradually. Typically they are installed on high speed cornering sections, where space for runoff areas or gravel traps is limited and side impacts are of concern. Notable uses include:
- Circuit de la Sarthe: Porsche Curves (2016)[8]
- Autódromo José Carlos Pace: Turn 14 (2010)[9]
- Baku City Circuit: Turns 13, 19 (2016)[10]
- Circuit Gilles Villeneuve: Turn 5 (2017)[11]
- Road America: Turn 11 (2019) [12]
- Circuit Zandvoort: Turn 14 (2020)[13]
Other forms of "soft walls"
- Cellofoam – This is an encapsulated polystyrene barrier—a block of plastic foam encased in polyethylene.
- Impact Protection System (IPS) – This inner piece of the wall is then wrapped in a rubber casing. Holes are drilled in the concrete wall and cables are used to tie the segments to it.
- Compression barriers – This idea is to place cushioning materials, such as tires, water barrels, or sand barrels, against the concrete wall, and then cover those cushions with a smooth surface that would give when impacted, and then pop back out to its previous shape once the impact is over.
References
- ^ "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site – Safety: Soft Walls/SAFER". jayski.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site – Safety: Past Soft Walls/SAFER". jayski.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "All News Releases Distributed by PR Newswire". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Indianapolis Motor Speedway". indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "PEDS Barrier Passes First Test in Luyendyk IROC Crash". theautochannel.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Smith, Luke (20 May 2016). "SAFER barrier set for introduction at Le Mans". MotorSportsTalk. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "New 'soft wall' installed at Interlagos". GPUpdate.net. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ Horton, Phillip. "Formula 1: Minor tweaks at Baku ahead of Azerbaijan GP". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Key upgrades for Montreal Formula 1 track". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "IndyCar drivers weigh risk, reward at exacting Road America". APnews.com. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ^ "Zandvoort banked turns completed ahead of F1 Dutch Grand Prix". Crash. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Midwest Roadside Safety Facility – designers of the SAFER Barrier
- IndyCar.com – The official site of the IRL
- Eldora meets guidelines without SAFER barriers
- Reid, John; Faller, Ronald; Holloway, Jim; Rohde, John; Sicking, Dean (January 2003). "New Energy-Absorbing High-Speed Safety Barrier". Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 1851: 53–64. S2CID 109087508.