Before last Saturday at the Hungaroring, helmets only really made the headlines when a driver decided to sport a new livery or auction one for charity. But Felipe Massa’s dramatic accident during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix brought driver safety - and in particular the great strides made in helmet design over the past few years - into much sharper focus.
在上週六的匈牙利站前，安全帽只有在車手要秀出新贊助或是慈善拍賣時才會上頭條。但是Massa在匈牙利站排位賽的嚴重意外讓車手安全再度成為焦點，特別是過去幾年來安全帽設計上的進步幅度。
Back in Formula One racing’s early days, it was speed, not safety that took precedence. Legendary world champion Juan Manuel Fangio preferred to race in a simple balaclava. But by 1953, even Fangio couldn’t hold back the tide, and helmets were made compulsory. The ones used nowadays, however, bear little resemblance to their primitive 1950’s predecessors and are the product of years of research and development.
回到早期F1的比賽中，速度才是大家的焦點而不是安全。傳奇的世界冠軍Juan Manuel Fangio喜歡在比賽中戴巴拉克拉法帽(J三小...)，但是在1953年，即使是Fangio也不能違反潮流，安全帽成為強制配件。現今使用的安全帽經過多年的研究和發展，跟1950年代的前輩還有一點相似。
As with all aspects of the sport’s safety, the FIA sets the standard, and the governing body’s most recent evolution of their helmet regulations, FIA 8860-2004, was developed over an eight-year period. Drafted by UK testing facility, Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), the new criteria were adopted by the three main Formula One helmet manufacturers, Arai, Bell and Schuberth, and the resulting homologated helmets were made compulsory by the World Motor Sport Council in 2004.
從運動安全的觀點來看，FIA訂下了標準，最新的安全帽規章FIA 8860-2004已經發展了超過八年。由英國測試單位TRL起草，新的標準被三個F1主要安全帽製造商Arai、Bell、Schuberth所採用，符合標準的安全帽已經在2004年由WMSC規定使用。
Although the exact composition of the materials that make up a Formula One helmet is a secret closely guarded by the manufacturers, the rigid outer shell features a couple of layers, usually fibre-reinforced resin over carbon fibre. Underneath, there is a layer of aramid (also used in many bulletproof vests) and another much thicker layer of polyethylene, a soft and deformable material, which is covered with the same flameproof material used in drivers’ overalls. Smaller quantifies of aluminium, magnesium and the binding agent epoxy resin are all added to the mix too.
即使製作F1使用的安全帽材料成分都被製造商小心的保密，堅硬的外殼由兩層構成，通常是強化纖維加上碳纖維。在內層使用一種人造纖維(也使用於防彈背心上)，更厚的一層由聚乙烯組成，是種柔軟可變形的材料，再被和賽車服相同的防火材料包覆著，小量的鋁、美和環氧化物接合劑將所有部件組合在一起。
The typical weight of a Formula One helmet is a remarkably minimal 1250 grams. The lighter the helmet, the less weight it adds to the driver’s head under extreme G-forces, which in turn lessens the risk of whiplash-type injuries when something goes wrong. But as Massa’s accident in Hungary so dramatically demonstrated, a helmet also needs to be super strong, so it can absorb impacts and resist penetration during a crash.
一個F1安全帽的標準重量是驚人的1250公克。更輕的安全帽就更減少車手頭部在極端G力下承受的力量，減少發生意外時被由後方追撞時的風險。但是Massa在匈牙利的意外證明一件事，安全帽也要非常的堅硬，能在意外中承受衝擊和穿刺性傷害。
With these (somewhat incompatible) aims of being both tough and lightweight, it’s no wonder the effort that goes into crafting a helmet that can fulfil the FIA’s demands is immense. First, the driver’s head is scanned to create a life-size model. This sculpted replica is then wrapped, layer by layer, with 120 mats of high-performance carbon fibre to ensure the perfect fit.
要達到這些目標(有些還有衝突)和輕量化，努力下的工藝成果難怪可以滿足FIA的要求。首先車手的頭型要製作成一個真人大小的模型，這個複製模型要一層層包上120層高品質碳纖維以確定完全符合頭型。
With every thread of fibre consisting of about 12,000 ‘microthreads’, each of which is about 15 times thinner than a human hair, the process is as expensive as it is cutting edge. In one helmet, the total length of all the threads is approximately 16,000 kilometres. Over the same distance you could drive from Tokyo to London.
每一層的碳纖維由12000條微線構成，每一條都比人的頭髮細上15倍，加工過程就如它的重要性一樣昂貴。在一頂安全帽中，纖維的總長度接近16000公里，同樣的距離你可以從東京開車到倫敦。
The individual layers are then bonded together in an autoclave (a type of ‘industrial pressure cooker’), hardening under high pressure and at a constant temperature of 132°C. In addition, the parts which will be subject to huge loads once the helmet is in use, like the visor cut-out, are reinforced with supplementary materials, like aluminium and titanium.
之後每層纖維會在壓力鍋(一種工業用的高壓高溫機器)中接著在一起，在132度的溫度和高壓下變的堅硬。另外，完成的部件會再加上強化材料，如:鋁和鈦，再經過一次重負載實驗。
As well as fulfilling its primary role of protecting a driver, the helmet must also allow him to see and breathe. Ventilation is provided through a small intake at the front, which filters the air to clean it of any motor oil, carbon and brake dust particles. Up to 10 litres of fresh air flow into the helmet’s interior per second.
安全帽不只要達成保護車手的安全，還要讓車手可以有好的視野和通暢的呼吸。前方所開的小孔可以維持安全帽的通風性，有濾網可以過濾空氣中的油污、碳纖維煞車所造成的粉塵，每秒大約有十公升的空氣流入安全帽。
The visor is made from a three millimetre-thick piece of specially-devised clear polycarbonate. Combining excellent impact protection, with flame resistance and excellent visibility, it’s by far the best solution. Most drivers tend to use tinted visors, which are coated with anti-fogging chemicals to prevent them misting up. In addition, there are several transparent tear-off strips attached to the outside, which the driver can remove as and when the visor gets dirty.
鏡片是由三厘米厚的特殊聚碳酸酯樹脂(PC)製成，具有耐衝擊、防火和良好透光性的優點，顯然的是很適合的材料。多數車手偏向使用鍍膜鏡片，鏡片表面有鍍上一層防止起霧的化學材料。另外在鏡片外層會有數層透明膜，當鏡片髒污了車手可以撕下髒污的膜。
With equally strict safety standards to live up to, helmets are tested just as thoroughly as the cars. Fitted on an imitation metal ‘head’, and equipped with sensors that measure deceleration, the helmet is mounted on a sledge running on vertical track. To replicate an impact, the helmet (and ‘head’) are then lifted to a specified height and dropped on to a variety of objects, including a flat surface, a sharp edge, and a half-sphere.
安全帽像汽車一樣接受撞擊測試，以實踐一樣的嚴格安全標準。戴在金屬的假人頭上，裝上感測器來測量減速度，安全帽就被裝設在一個垂直軌道上。為了要模擬衝擊力，安全帽(和假人頭)被升高到特定高度，之後下落撞擊各種測試表面，如:平面、尖銳物或是半圓球體。
The helmet test facility at TRL boasts a drop tower over 15.5m tall, which is capable of accelerating objects through gravity by up to around 17m/s (63km/h). A helmet designed to meet the FIA’s 8860 standards needs to withstand an impact of 9.5m/s (34.2 km/h). At this speed, the sensors must never display a deceleration of more than 300g, while 225 joules of energy must be dissipated.
安全帽測試也在TRL執行，包含了從超過15.5公尺的高處落下測試，這個高度可以將目標以重力加速度加速到約每秒17公尺(時速63公里)。要符合FIA的8860規章，安全帽要承受每秒9.5公尺(時速34.2公里)的撞擊，在這速度下感測器得到的數值不可超過300g，也就是約225焦耳的能量要被吸收掉。
In line with the regulations, helmets also undergo a variety of further deformation and fragmentation evaluations, as well as procedures to test the HANS device, which prevents a driver’s head from hitting the steering wheel. There’s also a compulsory fire test, during which the helmet is subjected to an 800°C flame for 45 seconds. To pass, temperatures inside the helmet are not allowed to exceed 70°C, otherwise it is back to the drawing board. The visor, meanwhile, has its protective qualities evaluated by having projectiles shot at it at 500km/h. The impact marks must not exceed a depth of 2.5mm.
要完全符合技術規章，安全帽要能承受各種變型和破碎評估，還要跟HANS一起做測試，HANS能夠防止車手頭部與方向盤發生撞擊。還有高溫測試，安全帽要能忍受八百度高溫四十五秒，要通過測試，安全帽內部溫度不可超過七十度，否則就要重新設計。面罩也有安全測試，要承受時速500公里的物體撞擊，撞擊痕跡不可深於2.5公厘。
On top of these all-important safety tests, helmets also go through stringent wind-tunnel trials to ensure the design creates minimal drag when the driver is travelling at speed. All in all then, from start to finish developing a Formula One helmet is a long-winded and pricey process. But considering that Massa is already up and about - and talking about getting back behind the wheel - it’s clearly worth all the effort.
在所有重要的安全測試後，安全帽還要經過風洞測試，確保設計成果可以將高速下的風阻降到最小。總體來說，一頂F1安全帽的從零到完成是很漫長的路和昂貴，但是想到Massa已經甦醒而且開始討論回到工作崗位上的事宜，這一切無疑的是非常值得的。
