Speed is the ultimate goal of racing, and materials are an increasingly important area of research for making race cars faster. The splitter, which produces front downforce, is made from Tegris, a polypropylene composite offering comparable stiffness and improved impact properties at significantly lower cost than alternative materials. Engine blocks must be cast iron, but careful control of microstructure using precision manufacturing methods produces a lighter engine block that generates more horsepower. Speed and excitement must be balanced with safety, and materials are key players here, as well. Energy-dissipating foams in the car and the barriers surrounding the tracks allow drivers to walk away uninjured from accidents. Fire-resistant polymers protect drivers from high-temperature fuel fires, and technology transfer from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) in the form of a low-temperature carbon monoxide catalyst filters the drivers' air. Sports are an outstanding way of showing the public how materials science and engineering are relevant to their lives and interests. Materials science and engineering is just that much more exciting when it's traveling at two hundred miles an hour.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Materials at 200 mph: Making NASCAR faster and safer


    Additional title:

    Werkstoffe bei 200 mph: NASCAR wird schneller und sicherer


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    MRS Bulletin ; 34 , 8 ; 602-606


    Publication date :

    2009


    Size :

    5 Seiten, 7 Bilder, 9 Quellen



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




    NASCAR

    Online Contents | 1997


    Working faster, safer

    Judge, Tom | IuD Bahn | 2001


    Nascar - Daytona 500

    Online Contents | 2012


    MOTORSPORT - Germany's NASCAR

    Online Contents | 1994