The function of the valvetrain in any engine is critical to its operation. In a race engine it is often an area of constant development; with engineers striving continually to improve the engine’s breathing characteristics or working towards higher engine speeds. Improving the trapped mass or inlet charge increases torque, and increasing engine speed increases power. The development of the valvetrain often includes new camshafts, valves, valve springs and spring retainers. The...
Formula One is often held up as an innovator, a creator of new technology and inventions. It is debatable to what extent this is true, but for CFD technology there have been direct benefits driven by Formula One over the past 10-15 years. This ‘sharpening’ of CFD tools – as in better accuracy, ease of use, speed and so on – has helped almost all other CFD users, from the more mainstream automotive engineers to Olympic cyclists, to do more. But there is a real danger...
While the monocoque of a modern Formula One car performs multiple functions, including aerodynamic performance and the provision of sufficient stiffness (combined with the powertrain and suspension) to ensure adequate traction and handling, its primary purpose is to protect the driver. To this end the Formula One technical regulations require chassis to pass a series of impact and intrusion tests before they can be used in competition. This requirement was first introduced in the...
In providing the physical contact points with the track surface, the ‘corners’ of a Formula One racecar –the wheels, brakes, uprights and suspension – could be argued to perform the most important function of all. Reacting forces induced by tyre traction, the generation of aerodynamic downforce, deceleration and acceleration make these elements among the most highly stressed in the overall car package. Like every other aspect of a racecar design, these areas are...
Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites first found their way into Formula One during the mid-1970s; however their full potential was not universally recognised until 1981 when John Barnard pioneered the carbon fibre monocoque with the McLaren MP4/1. After John Watson’s crash at Monza that season silenced sceptics’ concerns over structural integrity during impact, all Formula One teams followed suit, developing their own composite monocoques. The carbon fibre revolution...