Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2018 i Racecar Engineering

When Porsche withdrew at the end of the 2017 season, suddenly the EoT came back into the frame When the hybrid regulations were introduced into the World Endurance Championship in 2014 at their heart was the Equivalence of Technology (EoT), an appendix in the form of a table that was based on scientific calculations to allow petrol and diesel cars to be balanced, and for small, medium and high power hybrid systems to also be balanced. The idea was not to balance the cars, or teams, but to take the best from each concept, and accept that the others should be able to do the same job. Therefore, it was an equivalence of technology, rather than of performance, and it seemed to work rather well. However, from the outset, that…

Haas VF-18 Chassis: Carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure manufactured by Dallara. Power unit: Ferrari 062 EVO, turbocharged 1.6-litre V6; direct injection; max speed 15,000rpm. MGU-H and MGU-K in a compounded layout. Transmission: Ferrari servo-controlled hydraulic limited-slip differential; semi-automatic sequential and electronically-controlled gearbox with quickshift (eight gears, plus reverse). Suspension: Ferrari double wishbone pushrod actuated (front) and pullrod actuated (rear) torsion bars with ZF Sachs dampers. Steering: Ferrari. Clutch: AP Racing. Brake System: Carbon-carbon with Brembo 6-piston calipers. Cockpit Instrumentation: Ferrari. Seatbelts: Sabelt. Wheels: OZ Racing. Tyres: Pirelli P Zero. Fuel Cell: ATL. Weight: 733kg (including driver).…

‘I think the rework is visually quite striking, it does not look like a 20-year-old F1 car’ Formula 1’s new owner, Liberty, has set out to improve the show and turn every race into a Super Bowl. As a part of this drive the paddock has become less sterile, content is posted on social media and media access has been greatly improved. But one initiative is very much a case of bringing back something from the past. At a number of races through the season, a couple of times a day over the race weekend, the distinctive, and welcome, sound of a pair of 3-litre V10 engines dating back to 1999 will now be heard all around the circuit. This is because Paul Stoddart’s Minardi two-seater programme has been fully…

What was needed was a car that was as light and as nimble as it could be, with short overhangs and a perfectly balanced weight distribution When 1969 came to an end Porsche’s head of R&D and motorsport, Ferdinand Piech, defined the specification for the compact 908/03. He might have had high hopes for this car, but he certainly didn’t have a 13-year career in mind for probably the most nimble Porsche since the Typ 909 hillclimb car. In fact, as far as Piech was concerned, the 908/03 didn’t even have to be used for a full season, because he wanted it to do just two very specific events. Following a comparison test with the 917, the decision was taken to use the 908/03 at the Targa Florio and the…

A Formula 1 seven-post rig test logs approximately 100 signals at 1000HZ, but just how is this amount of data measured, stored and managed? In last month’s issue we delved into the fascinating world of shaker rigs, exploring the concepts behind them and looking at new innovations in the sector. This month we will be taking this a step further, venturing into the virtual dimension of rig testing, while also looking at the various measurement tools. There are many questions to ask. With a F1 seven-post rig test logging approximately 100 signals at 1000HZ, just how is this amount of data measured, stored and managed? How can you synchronise seven actuators to move at mm-perfect displacements? How can you simulate tyre squash when the wheels are stationary? As ever, there…

During the Spanish GP weekend in May, Nikolas Tombazis, FIA F1 tech boss, and race director Charlie Whiting talked through the changes the Formula 1 Commission has introduced to improve overtaking in 2019. Later in the weekend the teams voted on the proposals, with a 50-50 result. FIA president Jean Todt has called the Commission’s decision a ‘miracle’, and these aero changes are now set for next season. Though there was scant detail as Racecar went to press it’s known that the main thrust is to simplify the front wing and brake duct, and also to introduce a wider and deeper rear wing. Tombazis and Whiting also talked about changes to DRS when they addressed the press. The aero changes will, say the FIA, increase the DRS effect by approximately…

The 2018 technical regulations give teams a 20mm area of freedom around the Halo and most have exploited this with stacks of winglets sited on the upper surface of the titanium structure. Haas, though, has gone its own way with an array of vortex generators on the upper and lower edge of the structure. However, in Barcelona the team did experiment with some winglets similar to the type used by its rivals. ‘It is a subtle aerodynamic area,’ Ron Taylor says. ‘With the vortex generators we were looking at wake structures. The winglets we tried in Barcelona were perhaps a little bit better performing in terms of car speed, but not as good in terms of wake, and our major concern was to do with wake on to the engine…

‘We don’t use CAD, instead everything is drawn on paper, measurements are made the traditional way and calculations are done without computers’ With the motorsport industry seemingly always looking to the future these days, the challenge for a concept is that it needs to be technologically innovative while also appearing futuristic and exciting. It’s even more of a challenge if the car needs to be fully functional. One group of students from the west of France have met all these challenges head on with the Espera Sbarro Dilemme, a fully-operational electric racecar that wowed visitors at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. Ecole Espera Sbarro was set up in partnership with Universite de Technologie de Belfort-Montbeliard by Swiss designer Franco Sbarro as an antidote to what he felt was…

Additive manufacturing Printed parts for prototypes Graphite AM (GAM) is helping several LMP1 and LMP2 teams to reduce weight by 3D printing lightweight carbon filled SLS parts including plenums, intake systems, turbo pipes, baffles and brackets. GAM’s Carbon SLS offers the best strength-to-weight ratio of any 3D printed nylon, we’re told. Parts are resistant to fuels, oils and also have high temperature resistance. www.graphite-am.co.uk Cockpit In the hot seat Racetech enjoys preferred seat supplier status with Aston Martin Racing (LMS GTE, GT3 and GT4 programmes), Porsche (RSR GTE) and Callaway Corvette (GT3) and this year there will be at least 11 Racetechequipped cars on the grid for the Le Mans 24 hours. The company has been specialising in the design, manufacture and marketing of closed cockpit racecar seats for over…

The regulations for LMP1 privateer or non-hybrid engines are, in motorsport terms, relatively free With Toyota the only remaining LMP1 manufacturer the 2018/19 WEC season presents the best opportunity ever for a privateer team to not only claim that final podium spot at Le Mans, but potentially the victory too. It’s hardly surprising then, with eight privateer entries, the hunger for the Le Mans podium has triggered an engineering war, with the development of the LMP1 engine the most significant battle. But with four different concepts ranging from naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V8s to 3.4-litre V6 turbos, who has got it right, and who has got it wrong? In terms of design, the regulations for LMP1 privateer, or non-hybrid, engines are in motorsport terms relatively free. Unsurprisingly, they have to be…

‘The first car was ultra conservative, the second less so, and this one even less so again’ This is only the third year that the Haas team has been competing in F1, yet as the European portion of the 2018 season began it found itself in sixth position in the constructors’ championship with one of its two cars a regular points finisher. This strong performance, which began in winter testing, has prompted some to claim that the car is a mere copy of last year’s Ferrari. But Haas say this is far from the truth, and while it does source much of its car from the Italian manufacturer – including its complete suspension system, power unit and transmission – the chassis and aerodynamic package is the work of a joint…

Taylor highlights an array of components on the outer leading edge of the sidepods as the VF-18’s weakest design element. ‘While on the car there is nothing I can point to as the Achilles’ heel, there are a few parts I think we could have done better,’ he says. ‘One thing I don’t like is the ‘Venetian blinds’ in front of the sidepod entry, they are a little bit too complex for the benefit [they give]. They cause us a lot of structural issues, it’s a lot of parts, with a lot of slots and features, but with a rather unhelpful load path. ‘Aerodynamic things usually tend to be unhelpful in terms of their load paths and structural integrity, so you are always trying to balance the want of the…

Removing the static ride height requirement means the cars at the superspeedways are low – extremely low The 2018 NASCAR season is now over a third of the way through and NASCAR R&D has been busier than ever, with a focus on the top-tier Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). As always, the updates we make are aimed at reducing the costs, increasing the safety, and providing more excitement for the race fans. Let’s begin with the top series, MENCS. To improve the lift-off speeds at superspeedway events in the Cup, NASCAR wind tunnel tested and track tested removing static ride height requirements to reduce the rear ride heights of the cars. The new regulations were introduced this season for the Daytona…

One of the great tragedies of this business is that many in the motorsport engineering fraternity actually don’t understand the real worth of simulation. As the principal of ChassisSim Technologies I’ve seen this at first-hand. I have lost count of the number of prospective customers who just want a magic bullet, or those who get so wrapped up in the squiggly lines or the driver-in-the-loop rig graphics they actually miss the point entirely. The key thing that simulation brings to the party is that nothing, and I mean nothing, will help you understand your car like simulation will. If you want to know the secret to being consistently quick you must know your car inside out. Once you know your racecar inside out making those key judgement calls in the…