F1 CARS

Introduction

Most sophisticated vehicles used in the most technologically advanced form of sports. Each and every minute details tuned to perfection Each f1 team has the responsibility to come up with the most efficient design. Bringing the f1 cars to a halt is an incredible challenge. F1 car driving demands precision, incredibly fast reflexes and endurance from the driver.

The Chassis

Characteristics
Single seat cars Open cockpit Open wheels Wings at front and rear Position of the engine is behind the driver

The Cockpit

Cockpit is a very sparse environment. Driver has limited movement. Driver experiences G-forces. Designers are forever trying to lower the centre of gravity of the car.

Aerodynamics

Wing theory
Rear wing Front wing

Barge boards Diffuser

Wing theory

Uses the same principle as an aircraft. Aircraft uses lift whereas f1 cars uses downforce. Drag- another important factor on an f1 car.

Rear wing

Made up of 2 sets of aerofoil connected to each other by wing endplates. Top aerofoil made up of a maximum of 3 elements. Lower aerofoil made up of single element. Endplates prevent the air from spilling over the sides of the wings.

Front wing

Asymmetrical wing flaps on either side of the nose cones. Asymmetrical shape allows better airflow increasing down-force. Inside edges of the front wing endplates curved.

Barge-boards

Mounted between front wheels and side-pods. Can be situated in the suspension. Main purpose- Smoothen and direct the airflow coming from the front wheels. They have contours to direct airflow in different directions.

Diffuser

Situated at the underside of the car behind the rear axle line. Consists of many tunnels and splitters to control airflow. Maximizes suction effect thus increasing down-force.

Engine

Ten times horse-power of a normal road car. Operate at very high temperatures. Limited to 3 litre, normally with 10 cylinders. Engines made from forged aluminium. Some components made from ceramics in order to reduce internal inertia of moving parts.

What makes these engines different to road car engines?

Air-box Fuel and fuel tank Exhausts Cooling systems Transmissions

Clutch Gearbox Gear ratios Differential

Tyres

Must be able to withstand very high stresses and temperatures. Tyres filled with special nitrogen rich, moisture free gas. Tyres made up of 4 ingredients- carbon blacks, polymers, oils and curatives. 3 types of tyres are used
Dry tyre Intermediate tyre Wet tyre

The Suspensions

Two forms of suspension. Traditional coil spring setup. Torsion bar setup Both forms are mounted on the chassis.

Dampers

Often called shock absorbers. Main purpose is to prevent the spring from oscillating too much These dampers can be tuned to alter the handling.

The Brakes

F1 cars use disc brakes designed to work at 750 degrees celcius. Brakes are set up with 60% braking force to the front and 40% to the rear. Drivers are able to adjust the balance btw front and rear braking force from a dial in the cockpit. Rotating discs are gripped by caliper squeezing the disc. Discs are drilled for airflow to keep temperature down. Front and rear braking systems are connected separately

Steering wheel and pedals

A sophisticated steering wheel with all the information available. On the front of the wheel items such as rev lights, speed limit button, fuel mixture controls, radio buttons etc. are provided. Levers for changing gears are located on the back of the wheel. Pedals are designed specifically for each driver. Only 2 pedals are available- for acceleration and for braking.

1. Regulates front brakes 2 .Regulates rear brakes 3 .Rev Shift lights 4 5. Lap time display 6 .Neutral gear buttons 7. Display for Gear, engine RPM, water & oil temperatures 8 .Engine cut-off switch 9 .Place to add small map of track with sector breakdowns 10. Activates drink bottle pump 11 .Brake balance selector 12 .Manual activation of fuel door 13 .Air / fuel mix selector 14 .Power steering servo regulator 15 .Specific car program recall 16 .Engine mapping selector 17 .Selection 'enter' key 18 .Electronic throttle regulators 19 .Change menus on display 20 .Pits to car radio activation 21 .Pit lane speed limiter activation

Each part costs: PARTS AMOUNT SINGLE PRICE () Monocoque 112 360 Bodywork 8026 Rear Wing 12842 Front Wing 16051 Engine 240770 Gearbox 128411 Gear Ratios (set) 112360 Exhaust System 9631 Telemetry 128411 Fire Extinguisher 3210 Brake Discs 964 Brake Pads 642 Brake Callipers 16051 Wheels 1124 Tyres 642 Shock Absorber 2087 Pedals (set) 1605 Dashboard 3210 Steering System 4815 Steering Wheel 32103 Fuel Tank 9632 Suspension 3210 Wiring 8026

AMOUNT NEEDED 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 8 4 4 4 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

TOTAL () 112,360 8,026 12,842 16,051 240,770 128,411 112,360 9,631 128,411 6,420 3,856 5,136 64,205 4,496 2,568 8,346 1,605 3,210 4,815 32,103 9,632 3,210 8,026 926,490

GRAND TOTAL

In addition to the build costs, thousands of pounds will be spent on designing the car. Design costs include the making of models, using the wind tunnel and paying crash test expenses etc. The cost of producing the final product will be 7,700,000

Random facts about f1

In an f1 engine revving at 18000rpm, piston travels up and down 300 times a second. If a connecting rod let go of its piston at max speed, the piston would have enough energy to travel vertically over 100 metres. If a water hose were to blow off, complete cooling system would empty in just over a second. F1 cars have 3 built in pneumatic jacks. F1 car has as many as 8 radios operating at a time.

Conclusion

The cars engine, suspension, aerodynamics, tyres etc determine how fast they go. The engineering of materials, cooling system, aerodynamics and high temperature structural stiffness of f1 components is leading edge technology. Getting the car tuned up and keeping it in a state of perfection are 2 of the teams most important tasks during a season.

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