... is not a McPherson Strut.
Of course, neither is a McPherson strut (because some FIAT engineer named Fornaca actually invented it in the 20's). But, that's another story.
A Chapman Strut, is however quite similar, and being a strut designed by Chapman it is one device that performs multiple tasks - namely shock absorbing and wheel location. Unlike a McPherson strut, Chapman's strut is located at the rear of a car and is statically mounted so that it exhibits no influence in wheel deflection or toe. As such it resists high lateral forces amazingly well for its light weight... although it has disadvantages in terms of height and side-load.
Lotus first used the Chapman strut on their Formula 2 car, the Lotus 12. The 12 is historically regarded as a failure in terms of championship points - and it was. However, the 12 should be noted as pioneering a number of significant innovations:
- 5 speed indirect gearbox
- magnesium "wobbly" wheels
- spaceframe chassis
1 comment:
Please put this on the wikipeadia page for the Chapman Strut. Your picture is the first I've looked at that clearly shows all the components and how they are joined. The existing wikipeadia entry the hub (upright) is hidden by the wheel and I can't see what is going on. Good one.
Post a Comment