4 ms·

This is very fascinating, and I wish there were more resources or channels available to here directly from scientists such as this. Even the automotive sheetme

by axaxs 8y ago

This is very fascinating, and I wish there were more resources or channels available to here directly from scientists such as this. Even the automotive sheetmetal advancements would be interesting to me, though no details given unfortunately. As an aside, it is probably pretty hard being a metallurgist on the internet. There are so many people who parrot blatantly wrong info, and present themselves as authorities while having essentially zero training. I learned this the hard way by attempting to google comparisons of knife steels in particular, only to realize nearly every single resource gave different answers. Additionally, I remember one very long thread in a gun debate, where several of these authorities were badmouthing Ruger for using cast vs forged parts, and how that seemed accepted as fact. One person took the time to write to a metallurgist at Ruger, who succinctly stated there was no inherent weakness to properly cast steel, and that their formulas are designed to exceed performance of plain forged steel(im leaving a lot of details out as im working from memory). It was a bit eye opening to me to realize these people who work behind the scenes existed, but at the same time how frustrating it must be to constantly be told you're wrong due to the nature of what you do. Luckily in CS we don't have quite the same issue. Sure people get things incorrect, but the barrier to entry is higher(using a computer and the internet vs using steel), and such a large amount of tech savvy people and CS profressionals exist that these are often cleared up or refuted. Metallurgists and other specialists don't have such a network to rely on.

dsfyu404ed 8y ago
In the OEM part of the automotive world there's all sorts of dynamically adjusted shocks, sway bars, etc, etc. None of that has made it into even the highest levels (most $$$) of off road racing (where it would be very useful) or normal racing (where it would still be useful, but far less so) yet. Most recent tech is still under NDA and the people that do this stuff as their day job don't post on hobbyist boards and doing your own testing is prohibitively resource intensive compared to computer stuff. That's why you don't hear about recent tech until it's old. If you keep up to date on academic papers and industry press releases you can kind of get a fuzzy picture of what's going on.
- gh02t 8y ago
  Various active suspension systems have been played with in F1 since the 80's, but they are limited pretty severely by regulations. The justification for the ban is for sporting reasons, same as a lot of other innovations like CVTs or traction control. No doubt they would be using them if they were legal. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/127638/f1-latest-suspension-row-explained https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/127638/f1-latest-suspensio... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_FW15C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_FW15C
- justtopost 8y ago
  The truth isnt so simple. Electrically adjustible shocks were all over race cars in the late 80s to mid 90s. Sometime around the late 90s, we realized a good static setup is easier to setup, more reliable, cheaper and better understood in most cases. While some sports like drag racing still ocasionally use the tech (due to differing forces during launch vs run). Aditionally, the bose system, in development since the 80s, never really materialized in useable form, despite some neat demos. True, most roadracing leagues ban it as 'active', and being outside the spirit of the race. This was due to it potentially becoming an arms race of whose sponsor has the deeper pockets. I do wish there were still a few 'unlimited' style races. Outside some hill-climb racing it seems most innovation is explicitly forbidden. Nascar has no relation to stock cars, f1 are not as fun to watch and have become a bizarre weird sidenote, e-racing is finally coming of age, but regulations are making for some monotonous designs. I am sure there would be some interest in a no-holds barred race. Hell, there needs be no rule that the craft even needs to touch the ground (or not be sucked down to it). Lets open our collective transportation imagination...
  - FlyMoreRockets 8y ago
    > Outside some hill-climb racing it seems most innovation is explicitly forbidden... Don't forget about land speed racing, which is quickly gaining popularity on repurposed air strips. About the only rules are related to safety, though there are various classes with regards to engine size, fuels, induction type (supercharging, etc), body style and such. Here are a dozen examples of innovation: https://www.hotrod.com/articles/12-ways-to-go-fast-in-the-standing-mile/ https://www.hotrod.com/articles/12-ways-to-go-fast-in-the-st...

by axaxs 8y ago

dsfyu404ed 8y ago

In the OEM part of the automotive world there's all sorts of dynamically adjusted shocks, sway bars, etc, etc. None of that has made it into even the highest levels (most $$$) of off road racing (where it would be very useful) or normal racing (where it would still be useful, but far less so) yet. Most recent tech is still under NDA and the people that do this stuff as their day job don't post on hobbyist boards and doing your own testing is prohibitively resource intensive compared to computer stuff. That's why you don't hear about recent tech until it's old. If you keep up to date on academic papers and industry press releases you can kind of get a fuzzy picture of what's going on.

gh02t 8y ago
Various active suspension systems have been played with in F1 since the 80's, but they are limited pretty severely by regulations. The justification for the ban is for sporting reasons, same as a lot of other innovations like CVTs or traction control. No doubt they would be using them if they were legal. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/127638/f1-latest-suspension-row-explained https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/127638/f1-latest-suspensio... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_FW15C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_FW15C
justtopost 8y ago
The truth isnt so simple. Electrically adjustible shocks were all over race cars in the late 80s to mid 90s. Sometime around the late 90s, we realized a good static setup is easier to setup, more reliable, cheaper and better understood in most cases. While some sports like drag racing still ocasionally use the tech (due to differing forces during launch vs run). Aditionally, the bose system, in development since the 80s, never really materialized in useable form, despite some neat demos. True, most roadracing leagues ban it as 'active', and being outside the spirit of the race. This was due to it potentially becoming an arms race of whose sponsor has the deeper pockets. I do wish there were still a few 'unlimited' style races. Outside some hill-climb racing it seems most innovation is explicitly forbidden. Nascar has no relation to stock cars, f1 are not as fun to watch and have become a bizarre weird sidenote, e-racing is finally coming of age, but regulations are making for some monotonous designs. I am sure there would be some interest in a no-holds barred race. Hell, there needs be no rule that the craft even needs to touch the ground (or not be sucked down to it). Lets open our collective transportation imagination...
- FlyMoreRockets 8y ago
  > Outside some hill-climb racing it seems most innovation is explicitly forbidden... Don't forget about land speed racing, which is quickly gaining popularity on repurposed air strips. About the only rules are related to safety, though there are various classes with regards to engine size, fuels, induction type (supercharging, etc), body style and such. Here are a dozen examples of innovation: https://www.hotrod.com/articles/12-ways-to-go-fast-in-the-standing-mile/ https://www.hotrod.com/articles/12-ways-to-go-fast-in-the-st...