Post by truenorth on Aug 23, 2018 10:06:20 GMT -8
A pneumatic air-jack system lifts an Indy car 4 inches off the ground in three-tenths of a second.
IndyCar tech talk: Air pressure the key to air-jack system
The entire air-jack system adds 6 pounds to the car's weight
August 21, 2018
A pit stop in the Verizon IndyCar Series is a less than 10-second fury of activity.
Fresh fuel, new tires and wing adjustments happen in quick succession with remarkable precision by a crew of only six, compared to nearly 20 in F1. This is only possible because the Dallara chassis IndyCar uses has a pneumatic air-jack system to lift the 1,800-pound car-and-driver combination in just three-tenths of a second.
Even though the system adds just 6 pounds to the car’s weight, it has the capacity to lift almost 3,600. That comes from 420 psi of pressurized air pushing against four 1.7-inch-diameter telescoping pistons.
Air for the jacks come from precharged tanks on the other side of the pit wall.
The air comes from precharged tanks on the other side of the pit wall. As the refueler runs to the side of the car, another crew member heads to the back of it and inserts a hose from the tanks to a quick connection housing beneath the rear wing. The now-sealed system near-instantly delivers the pressure to the four aluminum pistons -- two under the cockpit and two on either side of the gearbox — and lifts the car 4 inches off the ground to give the crew easy access to swap tires.
Once the hose is released, the weight of the car quickly pushes the air out of the system, allowing the jacks to fully retract and drop the car as it squeals away, leaving a cloud of tire smoke in the process.
Fast jacks add excitement to the pit stop, making it possible for a small crew to accomplish a large task, and we have a bunch of hot air to thank for it.