As some of you know, I work on a Global Rallycross/Rally team. Everyone of our events have been Africa hot this year. Thankfully, I'm not a technician, so I can get away with shorts and a t-shirt, and I can still get damn hot. Our techs must wear crew suits, which are basically single layer driving suits. The guys work awfully hard, and the heat in those things can be extreme, but they are needed for their safety. I'm wondering if basic cool shirts can solve the problem.
My concern is they can't be tethered to a cooler all the time as they must be extremely mobile during the short service intervals.
My big question is this, can they effectively cool you, if you disconnect for a short period, say 45 minutes, providing you reconnect up? Does the water have to constantly circulate to get ANY benefit.
you get benefit for about 5 minutes after disconnect as your body heat quickly reheats the fluid in the lines. I'd look into the 986/Momo design as the shirt itself is moisture wicking, so there'd be the evaporative benefit would remain when disconnected.
during service intervals how close could a cooler be located? Not to be hooked up to a cool shirt/FAST/986/Momo type system, but could you get a big fan and dry ice filled cooler to chill the pit box or paddock area for the better part of an hour?
Why not a fanny pack with a aquarium pump and small ice reservoir?
To get any sort of cooling benefit you have to move quite a bit of air. The side effect is it makes it too loud to communicate effectively, and also the wind from the fan can cause issues. Our current paddock design is very open, as we want to be accessible for spectators to watch. Our hauler does have A/C and they can hang in there to cool off a bit, but ultimately have to be outside to get any work done.
The CO2 system they have could work, but is pricey, and I'm not sure how often you have to refill the canister, and what the cost of that is.
The do have wicking fabric versions if you look at their football cooling stuff.
wvumtnbkr wrote:
Why not a fanny pack with a aquarium pump and small ice reservoir?
Keep in mind, they are crawling under the car etc. Having anything in the way can be a detriment. Best to just be clear of it all during service. If you went that route it would have to be worn on the belly side of the belt.
They currently manage without anything but drinking water and shade. However, the fresher you can keep the crew, they better they can perform, even if it is just during down time, or to bring them back to a cool state quicker.
sachilles wrote:
The do have wicking fabric versions if you look at their football cooling stuff.
http://www.momousa.com/racing/advanced-driver-cooling/pro-shirt-white.html?view=featured
I meant the 986 designed Momo unit for wicking. I'm a fan of it, but as it's not fire retardant I no longer use it. I'm working with a company on a fire retardant moisture wicking solution, but it's still early in development. What's allowed in and around the cars in the paddock/service areas, it doesn't take a huge amount of airflow to cool stuff down regarding CO2/dry ice use. A simple well positioned honeywall 8" desk fan can shoot a lot of cold air under a car without a ton of noise. also a cheetah airtank to blow compressed air also cools things down a bit
Spend some time on coolshirt's web site. They have products for various industries that require the person to be clothed but not tethered to a big cooler. Some links:
http://coolshirt.com/athletics/
http://coolshirt.com/industry/
http://coolshirt.com/emergency/
If that doesn't work for you, email me as I can probably make something.
amg_rx7 wrote:
Spend some time on coolshirt's web site. They have products for various industries that require the person to be clothed but not tethered to a big cooler. Some links:
http://coolshirt.com/athletics/
http://coolshirt.com/industry/
http://coolshirt.com/emergency/
If that doesn't work for you, email me as I can probably make something.
There website was what got me thinking about it, as it looked like some solutions allow you to go untethered for a while, but I was unsure how long you can be unhooked and see benefits.
Check these out. Don't require connecting to any other device. I use one in my racecar, though just the packs in front.
http://www.glaciertek.com
Can be bulky, though.
http://coolshirt.com/product/procool-co2-system-complete/
