For rollcage and chassis work, there tends to be regional variations in the materials used, depending whether one is talking US, British or European standards
Materials development has been intrinsic to the advancement of racecar technology since Count Jules-Albert de Dion chugged into Rouen in 1891, to win the world’s first motor race. Materials science has been a key enabler in the realisation of many an engineer’s ideas, which more often than not have outpaced the capabilities of whatever is the ‘current’ state-of-the-art for materials. One only has to look at the the Lotus 88 and McLaren MP4/1 with their carbon chassis, which re-defined the application of fledgling composite technology.
It is, however, easy to give motorsport too much credit, as in the world of industry it is something of a minnow. Aerospace, for example, is responsible for some of the biggest developments thanks to budgets that dwarf even the most lavish spenders in racing. Wars have also played their part; when countries have turned their full might to the development of aircraft, in particular, huge leaps have happened in tiny timeframes.
Sadly, it is the case these days that racing’s ability to harness some of the latest and greatest materials is somewhat curtailed, thanks to never ending cost saving measures by regulators. Formula 1 is a prime example, with an extensive list of materials that are forbidden from use due to their being deemed prohibitively expensive.
Composites may make up the bulk of most modern racecars by volume, but by mass, metals still remain dominant. Obviously in some series, from rallying to drag racing, chassis constructed from metal are still the norm, while in single seaters and sportscars, they tend to be composite, with metal components reserved for the engine, transmission and suspension systems.
Steel is real
Starting with steels, these are still used extensively in chassis construction and in this context there have been some interesting developments over the last decade. For rollcage and chassis work, there tends to be regional variations in the materials used, depending on whether one is talking US, British or European standards.
As a general rule, safety-specific parts such as rollcages will be produced from cold drawn seamless (CDS) tubing,
