The Rollcage - Safety Cell

The rollcage is an essential and integral part of Aussie Invader 5R. It has been sponsored by leading Perth based motor sport, engineering and performance workshop, LF Performance in Bentley, WA. The rollcage must perform three major functions, all of which are critical to the vehicles operation and driver safety.
 
1. Keep the driver safe in the event of an unforeseen operational mishap, where the vehicle loses control, yaws, pitches, rolls or goes through all of these unwanted actions simultaneously.
 
2. To support the drivers cut-out through our central mainframe (chassis). The reaction of our vehicles loaded mass and the pounding of the ground generated shock wave effect on our structure will be enormous and will try to close the cut-out and bend our mainframe where the driver is seated. For this reason the top horizontal tubes of our cage are made of 45mm x 10mm hollow bar, these are also welded to horizontal channel members running alongside these and tie the front and back driver’s bulkheads together via welding and stitch welding to the mainframe sides.
 
3. Dampen the effects of blurred visionthe driver will almost certainly experience because of Aussie Invader 5R running on solid, tireless wheels, with very limited suspension. The acoustic vibrations generated by our four rocket motors will be tremendous and with only a rubber seat to absorb and minimise this shaking effect. The design of our rollcage and it strategic fixing points to our mainframe, will hopefully also help to reduce the tremendous, anticipated vibration.


click on image for larger version - *drawing courtesy of LF Performance
 
  • Top horizontals 45 x 10mm hollow bar
  • Bottom horizontals 45 x 3mm CDW tubing
  • Roll hoops 45 x 5mm with 200mm radius CDW tubing
  • All diagonal bracing 25 x 2mm CDW tubing
 
The rollcage will also incorporate and support the following:
  • Six point – 3″ safety belt
  • Aussie made and FIA approved driver’s seat
  • Helmet restraints
  • Air breathing equipment for the driver
  • An on-board fire system
  • Hydraulic steering pump
  • Brake master and pedal assembly
  • Rocket motor firing and shutdown systems
  • Rocket motor throttle controls
  • All instrumentation
  • Parachute deployment controls
Rosco and the LF Performance guys
The tubular rollcage design being welded through the bulkheads, will also allow electrical wiring and small diameter tubing that needs to pass through the driver’s cell, to run through the four main horizontal rollcage tubes. This will isolate the driver from unnecessary electrical components, tidy the driver’s cell and reduce the risk of anything becoming loose that may cause a problem from the large amounts of expected vibration.