SVA requirements for steering column

[murpia]

What are the SVA requirements for the steering column?

Reason being I was thinking of fabricating my own column arrangement rather than using donor parts. I know it's supposed to be 'collapsable' but what does that mean in terms of load etc. required to collapse? And how far?

Regards, Ian

[jabs]

This from the SVA manual

These pictures might help too







All in all I think it would be difficult to meet the requirements with a home made column, but nothing is impossible.

Cheers

Chris

[murpia]

Fig. 1 of the offset joints type was what I had in mind.

Is there a minimum angle or offset specified?

Thanks, Ian

It's a minimum of 10 degrees, and as the SVA manual says "it is unlikely that joints of this type will work at angles above 30 degrees"

So it's between 10 and 30 degrees.

cheers

Chris

[CurlyBen]

One option might be to have the steering column as two tubes, one with an ID slightly greater than the OD of the other and drilling a hole through the pair and linking them with a shear pin of some kind. obviously you need to make sure it's not going to shear with steering forces! I've got an idea that would alleviate that problem but it starts making things too complicated. I think the above is essentially what's being done to the F750 car I work on, but we're buying it and I've yet to see it. We've also got a prop shaft at a hideous angle, probably over 30 degrees, and that's caused one failure so far! It'll also sap power and feel..