SAFER barrier

The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier, sometimes called a soft wall, is a technology found primarily on oval automobile race tracks and intended to make racing accidents safer. It was designed by a team of engineers led by Dean Sicking at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The SAFER barrier consists of structural steel tubes welded together. Behind these tubes are bundles of closed-cell polystyrene foam, placed between the barrier and the concrete 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, instead of propelling the car back into traffic on the track. The barrier is often installed in conjunction with a catch fence to improve the safety of spectators.

The SAFER barrier also lessens damage to the car itself, thereby reducing repair costs.

History

The SAFER system was developed by engineers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln starting in 1998, sponsored by the Indy Racing League. It was first installed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002, in time for the Indianapolis 500 and 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 IRL IndyCar Series or NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event included the SAFER barrier. In 2006, Iowa Speedway became the first racetrack to install a SAFER barrier that extends around the outer circumference of the track, rather than retrofit one to a concrete wall in the turns. Most oval speedways more than a mile in length in the United States have since installed the system.

An interesting challenge was presented with Dover International Speedway. When officials came to install the barrier, they found the wall, which was made of steel and not concrete, would not support the system. Officials were able to install the system on the inside concrete wall successfully. After a re-design and further testing, the system was installed a year and a half later.

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.

The barrier made its Formula 1 debut at the 2002 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis. In preparation for the 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix, the barrier was placed in the last corner of the Interlagos track, making its international debut.

Other Forms of "Soft Walls"

• Cellofoam — This is an encapsulated polystyrene barrier—a block of plastic foam encased in polyethylene.
• Polyethylene Energy Dissipation System (PEDS) — This system uses small polyethylene cylinders inserted inside larger ones. Designers of PEDS believe the system increases the wall's ability to withstand crashes of heavy race cars. In 1998, a PEDS Barrier, was attached to the inside retaining wall at the exit of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Turn 4, marking the first time in the track's history that an entity designed to soften crashes was attached to its concrete walls.
• 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.

External links

• Midwest Roadside Safety Facility – designers of the SAFER Barrier
• IndyCar.com – The official site of the IRL