Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i Racecar Engineering

I write this sat on an aeroplane to Charlotte. In my cabin there are three other people, 10 in Economy, none in Business and maybe some in First Class. Mid-pandemic, there is now a daily flight from London to Charlotte and, instead of the usual nine hours, the reduced payload means it’s done in seven and a half hours. That’s not progress. The ’plane still burns one of earth’s most precious resources, albeit a bit less when it’s not full, and still owns an impressively large carbon footprint. Now before anyone thinks, and then says it, I care deeply about my impact, and that of the motorsport industry, on the environment for a variety of reasons. Yes, I am aware I work in an industry that also burns a precious…

Q A recent Road & Track email newsletter featured a link to a video describing F1 suspension operation (see  here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mxm_ Vb25II&t=30s). Except for some specialised racing elements, the layout seems essentially similar to a double wishbone suspension found on many cars, but heave springs and heave dampers are new to me. I was a little uncertain if these are separate or combined parts, as in a coilover shock, but they are arranged to interconnect the right and left sides of the front suspension. From what I can make out, these components work in an opposite way to an anti-roll bar, in that they are activated when both wheels are simultaneously in bump or droop, but not in roll. My questions are firstly, what purpose do they serve? And secondly,…

One of the most popular racecar articles I have ever written, and one of the most downloaded items on the ChassisSim website, is the Damper Workbook. Not only does that show this to be a hot button topic, but also that there is a lack of genuine information on this important matter of racecar tuning. One trap I see people regularly fall into with racecar damping is over complicating things when they really don’t need to. What we’ll be doing in this article is applying this knowledge and showing how simulation tools enter the equation using the example of a car I recently worked on. The car in question, and shown in Figure 1, is the Scorch Racing Silvia S15 Time Attack car, raced by Tominoko ‘Under’ Suzuki in the…

French company, Green Corp Konnection (GCK), has joined forces with FEV, a leading global engineering supplier, to design, develop and integrate its own high-performance fuel cell. The hydrogen-based fuel system will be showcased in motorsport on the Dakar Rally in 2023, before being deployed across other industrial areas. Fuel cell system development is a key component to GCK Motorsport’s breakthrough project, that was itself launched during the Dakar Rally last January. Led by Guerlein Chicherit and now supported by FEV, GCK motorsport will become the first team to present a hydrogen-powered cross-country vehicle at Dakar 2022 before competing in the race in 2023. Other alternative fuel vehicles will also be presented as motorsport continues to seek sustainable mobility. ‘We are delighted to have a leading partner in FEV to join…

We left Brands Hatch at the end of last year thinking we would lose some cars, but things started to build and we have 11 new cars on the grid Following a challenging 2020 season, the motor racing world is slowly starting to open up fully this year, but few have done so quite in the same way as the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). A grid of 29 full-season entries line up for the 2021 campaign, with 11 new cars that have been built over the winter, nine manufacturer / constructor entries and 20 campaigning for the Independent trophy, as well as a hybrid system doing on-track testing prior to it being introduced for next season. It’s an extraordinary achievement even for a series that, despite being a domestic…

While understanding Liberty’s financial desire to increase revenues by staging 23 F1 World Championship events in one year, it seems to me they have failed to consider the negative effect this may cause. Arguably, even 20 GPs are two too many. Exclusivity often defines an image. Dilute this and you potentially risk a devaluation of brand value and prestige. It pays to keep devotees hungry for more. I suspect, with a race almost every other weekend and a number back to back between late March and mid-December, the dedicated TV audiences worldwide will find it difficult to follow every round – certainly live – because of the sheer time required. Especially so at the time of year when people are being tempted to enjoy outside activities, and are under pressure…

Overall length 4401mm Overall width 2300mm Overall height 1864mm Front track 1998mm Rear track 1998mm Ride height 450mm Wheelbase 3001mm Weight 1780kg Battery capacity 40kWh of useable energy Power source Twin 250kW motors (550bhp equivalent) Torque 920Nm Gradient capability 40 degrees on an 80 per cent slope 53 degrees on a 130 per cent slope (estimated, depending on surface) Suspension travel 385mm SPEC PARTS Chassis Tubular frame constructed of niobium-reinforced steel alloy Suspension Double wishbone with three-way adjustable mono damper; hydraulic bump and rebound stop Braking Six-piston Alcon caliper; iron disc and pads Steering Electrical PAS system Battery Built by Williams Advanced Engineering Tyres Engineered for the extreme terrains by Continental Tyres…

Before we go any further, let us first discuss why load transfer is ‘bad’. In Figure 1 we can see the evolution of the left front and right front tyre vertical loads, slip angles and induced lateral forces as we enter a corner. To keep things simple, we only look at the front tyres, and imagine that the speed, and therefore the front downforce, is constant so the sum of the two front tyre vertical loads that is 3776N x 2 = 7552N will stay constant. In this simplified presentation we also ignore the effect of camber and initial slip angle due to static toe. That is why all lateral force vs slip angle curves have no lateral or vertical offset at their origin. The initial vertical load (load +…

Fabric manufacture The discs start life as standard PAN (Polyacrylonitrile) carbon fibres. Before use, the fibres are oxidised, which involves heating them under tension to align the molecular structure in such a way to maximise their strength. The fibres are then chopped and mixed up to create a felt-like layer, which is spun onto rolls for later use. Carbonisation To further refine the PAN felt, the material is placed in a furnace at over 1000degC. This carbonisation process liberates any contaminants. Anything non-organic (not carbon) evaporates. This process takes place in an oxygen-free gas, often nitrogen, to ensure the PAN is not combusted. Pre-forming The fabric is then cut into disc shapes resembling the final product and stacked in layers to reach the desired thickness. Weight is measured at every…

In Motorsport Valley, a year since Covid brought business to a halt, the sun is out, spring is here and motorsport is preparing to welcome spectators in the next few weeks. Early, fast-paced decisions and proactive solutions stood many companies in good stead. The FIA, series promoters, race teams and amateur racers all worked to keep our business and sport active and alive. Thankfully, most initiatives have proved successful, keeping many in employment and TV-based fans happy. Some uncomfortable weeks lie ahead, but positivity is everywhere again. Unemployment is static and, with £124 billion in excess lockdown savings available, we can expect fast growth in amateur and private sport. Most motorsport suppliers have survived reasonably successfully, helped by generous government support, though sadly there will be some job losses as…

Porsche and its partner, ExxonMobil, will test advanced biofuels and renewable, lower-carbon eFuels as part of a new agreement to find pathways towards potential future customer adoption. The first iteration of the fuels have already indicated their potential to significantly reduce greenhouse emissions. The liquid fuel and products will be tested in the 2021 and 2022 Supercup series. The company says it remains committed to electrification of its fleet, but the development of eFuels will extend the life of the internal combustion engine. RallyX Nordic will debut a new, sustainably produced, high-performing biofuel produced by P1 Racing Fuels this season as the championship aims to lead the way in going 100 per cent fossil free by 2022. Tech-focused investment bank, ICON Corporate Finance, has advised UK-based Retrac Group to enable…

Motor racing appears to have embraced alternative fuel technology with a vengeance, judging by the raft of series that have now committed to moving away from fossil fuels and instead adopt synthetic and natural liquids. This is all designed to extend the life of the internal combustion engine yet, as mentioned in last month’s column, it’s still just a holding pattern. At the end of April, the FIA launched the latest vision of its electric future, Electric GT. Once again, as is the modus operandi for this administration, manufacturers are at the heart of the regulations and it is with their development clout that the series has set its ambitious future. It will race at full-length permanent circuits and will set new standards for performance and range, apparently. There are…