A driver seat is a component that affects driver comfort, control, and safety. A well-designed seat supports the driver and reduces fatigue while enhancing performance. As said by Costin, M. and D. Phipps in Racing and Sports Car Chassis Design (1967), the trend has shifted towards driver-centric designs that prioritize the driver's needs and preferences. A driver-centric design considers factors like anthropometrics, range of motion, and driver feedback to create a custom-fit seat that provides maximum comfort and control. This approach is essential to maximize the driver's performance, minimize the risk of accidents, and achieve optimal race results.

Details of seat's driver-support components (illustrate by concept version of seat)

We applied lateral acceleration loads on the seat to simulate the forces that would be experienced by the driver during a sharp turn or maneuver. The lateral acceleration load was set to 2.0 g or 1500 N. This load was applied at the center of gravity (CG) of the driver's body, which was assumed to be at the same location as the CG of the 3D driver model. The load was then transmitted to the touching surfaces of the seat. The resulting stresses and deformations were then analyzed to ensure that the seat could withstand the applied load without failure. Unfortunately, the resulting stresses are exceed the stress limit of the material. So, this version of seat model would not withstand the applied load without failure.

In order to simulate the effect of longitudinal deceleration, or braking, we applied a load in the same direction to the car's motion. This load was applied at the 3D driver model's CG point, and its magnitude was determined based on the weight of the driver and the car's maximum deceleration rate which is 1.5 g. This load is transmitted to the seat structure through the driver's body and is distributed over the support area of the seat. By analyzing the stress in the seat structure under this load condition, we can ensure that the seat is able to withstand the forces experienced during braking without failure with safety factor of 1.72.

The present analysis reveals that the failure that occurred during the maximum lateral acceleration case prompted an improvement in the seat model by increasing the thickness from 2.0 mm to 2.5 mm. The results obtained from the finite element analysis (FEA) demonstrate that the maximum stress occurred in the lateral load case, with an equivalent stress of 400.44 MPa (S.F. = 1.099), which fails to satisfy the minimum safety factor requirement. Furthermore, the maximum stress value observed in the longitudinal load case remains consistent with the previous model. These findings underscore the need for further improvements to the seat model to ensure its structural integrity under varying loading conditions.

To further improve the seat model, it may be imperative to explore design modifications beyond a mere increase in thickness. In this regard, the seat model was improved by fixing the 90-degree shoulder cut-out through smoothing the changes in model geometry, thereby reducing stress concentration. The resulting figure depicts that the maximum stress occurred in the lateral load case at the fastening hole edge with an equivalent stress of 260.17 MPa (S.F. = 1.69), which is considered satisfactory. Similarly, the next figure shows the maximum longitudinal load case with a maximum equivalent stress of 279.76 MPa (S.F. = 1.57), observed at the lower fastening hole region. Consequently, this iteration of the seat model demonstrates sufficient strength to transfer load without failure, with a satisfactory safety factor of 1.57.