Trelleborg Coated Material in Flexible Fuel Tanks
”Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!”
We can all relate to the nostalgia that comes along with racing. As kids, our lives revolved around it, from racing friends at the park to siblings for the coveted front passenger seat, competitors for the trophy, and more. Winning the race is always the goal.
For most, when we grow older, the importance of racing in our daily lives diminishes. For a lucky few, though, the adrenaline from childhood carries to adulthood, where it becomes a career. As for the rest of us? We love to watch the action.
FROM 10.2 MPH TO 231.4 MPH
The need for speed has taken over the world, with motorcar races such as Nascar and Formula 1 having viewing numbers in the millions, but it started with humble beginnings. The inauguration of Motorcar racing began soon after the invention of the gasoline- (petrol-) fueled internal combustion engine in the 1880s. The first known race was held in 1895 from Paris to Bordeaux, France, and back, totaling 1,178 km (731.97 miles). The winner’s average speed was 16.4 kph (10.2 mph). By 1900, racers were achieving speeds of over 80.46 kph (49.99 mph), and the current record holder for the highest speed in an F1 race hit 372.5km/h (231.4mph) during the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix.
MAXIMIZING PERFORMANCE WITH BELASOLUTION
With speeds that high, performance and safety are critical. Well-known in the motorsport industry, French manufacturing company, BELASOLUTION, specializes in high-quality elastomer, plastomer, and composite-based flexible products for the motorsport, industrial and offshore industries. Their flexible bladders are explosion-proof, shock resistant, and highly lightweight to maximize racing performance. BELASOLUTION is constantly developing and is launching its new FIA FT3 Flexible Fuel Tank for motor car racing. The product is designed for Rally, Rally Raid, Endurance (Le Mans 24h), and WRC Motorsport races.
PURPOSE-DRIVEN PARTNERSHIP
BELASOLUTION works closely with Trelleborg to develop ideal products that start with Trelleborg’s highly engineered coated materials. ”The great communication between Trelleborg and BELASOLUTION has permitted us to develop an extremely efficient technical solution within a short period,” says Bruno Slembrouck, BELASOLUTION CEO. ”We appreciate the integrity of our interlocutors for their listening, competence, and pragmatism.”
The FIA FT3 Flexible Fuel Tank is manufactured with NBR rubber and Kevlar® reinforcement to contain hydrocarbons in racing cars. Despite being incredibly lightweight, the material Trelleborg has developed for BELASOLUTION boasts high mechanical and abrasion resistance for durability in the event of mechanical failure or crashes. To save on costs, the FIA FT3 Flexible Fuel Tank is designed using vulcanization without mold, reducing overall cost.
Adaptable to any car, the FIA FT3 Flexible Fuel Tank offers quick installation and better security than other products on the market. The product can quickly adapt to any shape car frame and requires no manufacturing tools, significantly reducing costs. Other coated material advantages include an impressive seven-year life span due to excellent chemical resistance, strong security in case of a crash, and outstanding modularity.
”The coated material for the product has been thoughtfully detailed to meet the requirements of the FIA FT3-1999 standard and designed to bring best ratio mechanical performances/weight,” says Fabrice They, Trelleborg Sales Manager. ”Trelleborg is a great partner for BELASOLUTION, thanks to our robust experience in developing flexible solutions for hydrocarbon storage for demanding environments across various industries. We are proud to supply the BELASOLUTION and the motorsport industry with a tailor-made product that will bring higher safety to the driver and increased performances for racing cars.”
To learn more about Trelleborg’s custom-coated material solutions and rapid prototyping capabilities, visit TrelleborgECF.com, or email us directly at ECF@Trelleborg.com.
