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FARBalls
HomeCurrentprojectsandTechNotesFARBalls
PostedbyNeilonApr28,2012inCurrentprojectsandTechNotes,RB6FormulaFord|CommentsOff

ImplementingtheinnovationsthatIhavedevelopedovertheyearsintothefrontantirollbaronmyDB6turneditintoabizarrelookingscienceproject.Thisisthestory
ofwhyitlookslikethatandwhyitdoesthethingsthatitdoes.
Anantirollbaraddsrollstiffnesstotheendofthecarthatitisattachedto.Thereasonwecaresomuchaboutbarsisthatchangingtherelativerollstiffnessesofthefront
andrearsuspensionsisthemosteffectivewaytochangethecorneringbalanceofthecar.Theidealcorneringbalanceisneutral,withtheslipanglesofthefrontandrear
tiresthesamewhilecornering.Aneutralbalanceisfaster,easiertocontrol,andeasieronthetiresthanundersteeroroversteer.
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AntiRollBarBasics
Hereisanillustrationofatypicalracecarantirollbar.Itconsistsof3springsinseries:twobladelikeleverarmsandatorsionbar.Theendofeachbladeisusually
connectedtoonesideofthesuspensionthroughalinkwithasphericalbearingoneachend.Whenthesuspensionrolls,thebladesareloadedinbendingandthetorsion
barisloadedintorsion.Thespringratesofthethreespringsdeterminethestiffnessoftheassembly.
Racingantirollbarsareusuallymadesothatthebladescanberotatedeasily,sothatthestiffnessoftheassemblycanbechangedquickly.Thisiseveneasierwhenthe
bladeanglesareconnectedthroughapushpullcabletoaleverinthecockpit,sothatthedrivercanchangethebladeangleswhileunderway.StandardDB6eshavea
cockpitadjustablerearbar.ImademyfrontbaralsocockpitadjustablesothatIwillhopefullyhaveenoughadjustabilitytogetthecarbalancedandkeepitthatwayas
thetireschange.Theillustrationaboveshowsthebladeanglesatthefullstiffposition.Rotatingtheblades90wouldputtheminthefullsoftposition.
Hereareillustrationsofonebladebyitself,showingthetwoextremesofbladeanglesandbladestiffness.RossStringhamoptimizedthebladegeometryformethrough
thecourseofseveralFEAiterations.ThanksagainRoss!EdgeEngineeeringmadethebladesforme,anddidasuperbjobasusual.

BladeatFullSoftAngle
Rotatingthebladesothatthelinkloadsitinthethindirectionmakesthebladedeflectalotforagivenload,sotheantirollbarassemblystiffnessislow.

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BladeatFullStiffAngle
Likewise,rotatingthebladesothatthelinkloadsitinthethickdirectionmakestheblade,andthereforetheantirollbarassembly,muchstiffer.Intermediateangles
produceintermediatestiffnesses,butnotinawaythatisasusefulaswewouldlike.Thebladeactssomewhatlikeanonoffswitchasthebladeangleisvaried.Ifthe
cockpitadjusterhas5positions,thefirst3giveusalmostthesamestiffness,thenthe4thand5thmakethebarmuchstiffer,butthereisntmuchstiffnessdifference
betweenthosetwopositions.Hereisagraphofstiffnessversusbladeangleforthe4possiblecombinationsofbarandbladestiffness.

AntiRollBarStiffnessGraph
Onewaytomakeabaractlesslikeanonoffswitch,andprovidesomethingclosertouniformstiffnessincrementsbetweenadjustmentangles,istotiethetwoendsof
thebladestogetherwithanotherlink.Thatlinkmakestheshapeofthecurveinthegraphaboveclosertoastraightlinethanasinewave.DavidBrunsdidthatonmostof
theDBseriescars.Thetiplinkforceseachbladetiptodeflectaboutanarc,whichreducesthebladedeflectioninitssoftdirection.Thebladetiplinkisshownasagreen
lineinthisillustration,andthetipdeflectionarcsareshowninblack.

LinkArcwithConventionalAdjusterLinkage

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However,unlessthebladesarefullsoftorfullstiff,thereisasubtleflawinthatplan:Thetiplinkmakesthebarassemblystiffnessasymmetric.Itsstifferwhenturning
onedirectionthantheother.Thatmakesthecorneringbalanceofthecardifferentwhenturningleftcomparedtoturningright.Thestiffnessasymmetryisbecausethebar
assemblyisasymmetric.
Wheredidthatasymmetrycomefrom?Itsbecausetheusualbladeangleadjustmentlinkagerotatesthebladesinthesamedirection,asshownabove.Whencornering
onedirection,thebladesaredeflectedtowardtheirstiffangle,andwhencorneringtheotherdirection,thebladesaredeflectedtowardtheirsoftangle.Irealizedthatand
pointeditouttoBrunsafteritwastoolatetorevisethebardesignontheSwift007.iChampcar.Onthatcar,thelinkbetweenthebladetipswasarobustIbeamwitha
bearingatitscenterthatwasthemountpointforthe3rdspring.
OK,whatcanwedoaboutthat?Itseasytodesignabladeangleadjustmentlinkagethatrotatesthebladesinoppositedirections.Thatmakestheantirollbarassembly
symmetric.Problemsolved,right?

LinkArcwithSymmetricAdjusterLinkage
Wrong.Withthatconfiguration,thelinkbetweenthebladeswouldntdoanythingtoreducebladedeflectiontowarditssoftdirection.Thelinkwouldjustmovelaterally
withthebladedeflection,anditwouldmovealongway.Onthe007.i,therewasntroomtoaddanythingthatwouldrestrainthebladetiplinkfrommovinglaterally.So,
theengineersatNewmanHaasusedthatbarstiffnessasymmetrytotheiradvantage,withtrackspecificbladeorientationsthatproducedacorneringbalancethat
wasclosertoneutralthroughthecriticalturnineachdirection.Clever!
However,Idontintendtobethatclever.OnmyDB6,Iaddedatriangularsupportthatpreventsthebladetiplinkfrommovinglaterally.Hereisanillustrationofthe
completeassembly,exceptthatthefastenersarenotshown.Thebladetiplinkisshownindarkred.

FARBallsAssembly
Likethe007.i,mybladetiplinkisarobustpartbecauseitpressesonapolyurethanebumpstopmountedinthemiddleoftheframe.Thatgivesmeafrontbumpstopthat
distributestheexcesstireloadduetobumpstopcontactequallybetweenthetwofronttires.So,itwonthaveasmuchinfluenceoncorneringbalanceasconventional
bumpstopsmountedonthedampershafts.Thisisyetanothersalvoinmywaragainsthandlinginteractions.
Anadditionalfeatureofmybladetiplinkisasetof3holesoneachsideforthedroplinkfasteners.Mountingthelinksintheoutboardpairofholesmakesthebar
assemblyabitsofterthanstandard.Movingthemtothemiddlesetadds25%tothestiffnessoftheassembly.Movingthemtotheinboardpairofholesaddsanother25%
tothestiffnessoftheassembly.So,Idontneedabiginventoryofbarsandbladestocoveralargerangeofbarassemblystiffness,andIcanchangethebarstiffness
easilybetweentracksessions.
Iwouldhavedoneallofthistotherearbaraswell,butpackagingconstraintsconfoundedallofmyattempts.So,theonlychangeImadetotherearbaristheoptimized
blades.
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