Another Top Fuel Dragster Has Frame Fail

I know the "tub" is designed to protect the driver in the worst of crashes, but I also know that the forces the driver is subjected to in a breakaway like this must have entailed are almost beyond measurability. Did the driver survive it? This is indeed terrifying.

Yes he survived, the 'tub' did it's job...

"Team co-owner Angelo Lamattina confirmed his brother remains stable and in good spirits while the medical team continues to assess his condition, which is now confirmed as including two fractured vertebrae and possible damaged ribs."

The video shows the speed involved, and he is indeed lucky to have survived....

If the frame fails while the driver is in the air and "surgeons have advised that a full recovery is expected " I think it's time to revisit safety.

Everything starts out normal then the superstructure gives way, the rail jackknives straight up, then everything goes airborne...

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3130083/top-fuel-dragster-snaps-in-half-video-photos/?cs=2452#slide=5

SolarEagle you might look at the pics you posted and estimate where the electronics bay is. I will bet dollars to donuts you will find that car split in the only bay that did not have a diagonal brace. I have steered away from dragster's for this very reason, as I do not want to wake up in the hospital after this kind of accident. I have thought that an X pattern in each opening instead of a single diagonal brace would constitute a stronger car. But what do I know just watch a few friends end up in the hospital when they fold up. And now that I am going in for surgery for a neck-back injury I probably will not be able to race any longer, but will only know that after healing. all because of a 19 year old girl texting and driving at the same time, the two don't mix I don't care who says you can.

Too many cross braces make he car too stiff, thus not as quick. How many new cars would not launch until some of the cross braces were removed? -- JHF

What do you mean "started to fail". Frame failure has always been a problem as far as I can remember. (and I remember starting in professional drag racing in 1964.) Early on failure was usually broken welds or poor material selection. That is a big reason SEMA was started. I remember when all upper class race cars began to require a SEMA inspection sticker. Back then SEMA was "Speed Eq. Mfg. Assoc." I remember the guys with cars that the welds were not very good gripping about it. This was a little after the 'flexie flyer' chassis came about as cars got longer and longer. When metal flexes, it eventually breaks. Establishing life cycle rules and/or inspection requirements is the only thing that will reduce (you can't eliminate) failure. -- JHF

P.S. The have not been "rails" in a lot of decades.

Unlike aerospace there is no life cycle testing done on these frames. Having been to the drags for AA fuel and seen the amount of frame flex i wonder why it does not happen more often.

Too much repeated mechanical stress?

Too many "wheelies" or an excessive number of front end wheel bounce instances coming off the line?

Poor to no, NDT testing of the frame components?

It's been a while since I was really involved in drag racing other than as a spectator.

When I was a kid Mr. Hoffman, one of the most promising drivers of the time and a close family friend went through this type of wreck when a drive axle snapped near mid-course. He spent 14 months in a body cast and another 11 months in a wheelchair living at my brother-in-law's home during recovery. He never raced again.

Unless the rules have changed, the frame integrity and other mechanical integrity inspections are left up to the owner/operator as to the degree, QC, and interval.

I do not believe any frame testing or inspection results are currently required by the NHRA prior to each race.

Hopefully the owner and the NHRA officials will review any/all recent video of the runs this vehicle has made to determine the root-cause then take steps to stop it from happening again.

Sadly when something like this happens the vehicle can end up in the stands or engaging spectators along the side of the track.

May the driver recover quickly and completely.

This was a new race car. I once was asked to do an ultrasonic thickness gage on a dragster. There are required "inspection holes" to measure the gage of the tubing, but one racer found a way around the inspection holes. He poured wax in the area of the holes and used acid on the balance of the frame to lighten the car. Dumb!

In the early 1970's there what was called soda pop straw frames in AA fuel. They were powered by injected , no supercharger, small block chevys. The entire car was very light but fragile. Many accidents occurred.

I wouldn't call it anything more than normal failure. Given the number of people and rigs in this sport now I am rather surprised that there are not more failures like this.

Drag racing is an extreme sport where it's impossible to predict every possible likelihood of something breaking in a catastrophic way and thus plan for it.

As for adding more safety requirements, tests, procedures and regulations where do you start and where do you draw the line at being excessive without compromising the sport itself?

I believe that the primary players and participants in the sport are ultimately who should be the ones who determine and regulate their sport. They are the standing experts in that area after all.

Well it seems to me the front wing is holding the front down and the rear tires are gripping extremely well, this is providing an upward torque on the long body bending it like a bow....When it reaches about half way down the track this seems to be the point where the forces combine to produce maximum stress on the frame, a great deal of vibration producing an irregular oscillating stress level and the force of the oncoming wind producing enough downforce to snap the frame, which does occur instantaneously...Perhaps carbon fiber would work better....?

http://www.bankspower.com/topdieseldragster/components/20

http://www.dragraceresults.com/fullstory.cfm?id=5003&title=Chrome-Worx_Ultra_Cars_-_Project_Awesome_Part_1

The rear wing also adds to the bending moment of the rear axle. The wing is mounted high (to stay in undisturbed air?), and as the speed of the car increases the down-force, the drag on the wing also increases, increasing the bending effect at the same time.

The frames are intentionally springy as this is the only suspension these 'cars' have. Over the years, it was found that the limber frame improved traction at the launch. It's been a while, but some NHRA dragster classes (not top fuel as I recall) allowed the bottom rails to have a telescoping 'slipper' connection for more flex. This was in Australia, so the car may have been built to different rules anyway.

While rust in the frame may NOT have been responsible in these frame failures, our local heritage football score board is about to be mangled in an attempt to save some of its integrity.

I suggested that maybe a fibre filled polymer could be pumped into the corroded frame to form an integral single support structure where the frame could be retained 'as is' as decoration for the hidden polymer internal structure. (Yes, there may need to be access holes drilled to connect tubing joints etc).

Could the above be of value (with a fuel resistance additive as applicable) in many existing (racing) frames, bridges structures and other situations?

These chassis are designed to flex. If they were completely rigid the chances of a blow-over/chassis failure is increased. The teams have a testing regime they use in order to keep the drivers/spectators safe from these fire breathing monsters. But as was stated in an earlier post, you can't test for the unknown.

The setback from the track to the stands is considerable just because of this type on crash, as a car climbing the wall is not rare at all at these events. The flex also allows for higher traction margins which once again adds to the safety margins, If they were allowed to spin the tires all the way down the track as in days gone by there is no way to know where the cars will end up at the end of the track, just watch an old altered race or even the nostalgia racers of today they are on the ragged edge of being out of control from the first hit of the throttle.

Keep in mind that these cars have something along the lines of 9000 horsepower, with an unimaginable amount of torque (see the chassis flex? that takes lots of torque to do that), the chassis designs are safe! But the unknown is out there, also the teams do have an expiration date on these cars timed by the number of passes, the amount of tire shake and several other criteria that adds to the metal fatigue.

The sanctioning body (NHRA) mandates chassis material (chromoly steel seamless tubing) and several other factors, the distance of the race has been shortened for the "top fuel" classes to try and slow them down but the fans/sponsors/drivers like to win so they find ways to step up, that's why its called competition!. The winning car on Sunday sells on Monday.

These failures have been happening for a while now and are just now making headlines due to social media, as a long time fan of drag racing I have seen these way before now and they are accepted as "part of the game" by the teams/drivers, you build your car to protect your driver and move on, some of these failures have seen the driver make the next pass because the team had a spare car and the driver was willing most will at least make the next race, That is saying something about the state of the sport.

Minimizing weight to the last "surplus" gram and applying this level of dynamic stressing to what's left, is not recipe for a device "made to last". But that's racing, a risk level is always "accepted" silently. Racers are a unique breed that finds ways to bend traditional logic concerning little issues like that. All in all, adrenaline "dope" is considered legal and money is good... If you survive. S.M.

Perhaps an investment in some cad software with FEA will stop it from happening its not beyond the wit of man to design a tube frame that will not break Personally I would recommend Solidworks 2013+ to 2015 but as a petrol head would seem silly to do all engine/trans work and then forget about most important pieces (1) the driver. (2) you have to finish the race.