Most liked posts in thread: 2014 - F1

B.A.D. · Apr 28, 2014

Another great Blipshift shirt....

Steve · Apr 28, 2014

I like it but imagine how many times you'd have to explain it!

Zapski · Apr 30, 2014

Charts and images at the site.

Databytes: Why the ECU cannot do the job of a F1 fuel flow meter | Racecar Engineering

Over the last few seasons of motor sport there has been a move towards the use of energy recovery systems with the view to making motor sport more environmentally friendly whilst aiding the development of greener technologies. Now in order to promote fuel efficiency the formula one 2014 rule changes will see fuel mass flow restricted to 100 kg/h above 10,500rpm and below a formula for the maximum fuel flow will be applied. In this databytes we consider how these restrictions will be enforced and look at the reason why the governing bodies are looking towards new technologies to police them.

Rather than using a mechanical restrictor, similar to the way that boost pressure is restricted in turbo charged engines the FIA have chosen to monitor flow rate through an onboard data logger and impose a penalty should a team exceed the permitted limits. This requires a reliable method of measuring the flow rate while not affecting the flow itself so an ultrasonic sensor capable of sampling fuel flow up to 4000 times a second has been selected. In this modern age where internal combustion engines are controlled using powerful electronics, capable of running engines at over 20,000rpm, you might ask why canâ€™t the engine electronics themselves report the fuel flow, after all the cars run on an FIA specified ECU with FIA homologated software.

The control of an engine is complex but when you look at the fundamentals itâ€™s possible to calculate mass flow rate considering injector opening times, fuel density, and the fuel pressure at which it is stored. In fact many ECU suppliers provide the ability to calibrate fuel based on fuel mass as well as injector opening time. The following figure shows the instantaneous fuel mass that is being calculated from the ECU fuel map at a given speed and engine load.

Varying fuel mass dependent on engine speed and load CLICK THUMBNAIL

It can be seen from the data (above) that the fuel mass being injected, injMassTotal, is also affected by other ECU strategies. For example when the engine speed drops fuel is cut as part of the over run fuel cut strategy. Later in the outing small spikes in injMassTotal can be seen and from further analysis of the data it can be determined that the spikes are due to the gear shift strategy which requests a down shift throttle blip to generate a torque reversal in the gearbox so that a new gear can be selected more easily.

For an engine to accurately deliver the required amount of fuel at each injection point there are a number of factors that need to be considered when calculating how long to turn the injector on for. Firstly the instantaneous fuel pressure needs to be closely controlled and monitored. In modern engines fuel can be injected directly into the cylinder head and to achieve this itâ€™s necessary to pressurise the fuel to sufficiently to overcome the pressures seen in the cylinder head during the time fuel is being injected.

Also as its necessary to inject fuel at different points in the combustion cycle, to maximise engine performance, then its necessary to model the pressure differential that occurs across the injector tip and apply cylinder pressure injector flow compensation when calculating how long to open the injectors for. The accuracy of the model used will play a vital part in determining the accuracy of any fuel calculation performed by the ECU.

Additional compensation is also required for changes in fuel temperature and the effects of variation in battery voltage. Battery voltage compensation is relatively straightforward as injector manufactures will specify flow rates at different voltages albeit for direct injection applications this is not required as the injectors operate at voltages up to 200V to enable the precise control required by direct injection engines. In the case of fuel temperature compensation it is necessary to consider the heating effects that occur when the fuel reaches the injector tip. When the injector tip heats up, as the engine speed and load increase the fuel will expand. So at higher engine loads the injector needs to open for longer so that the correct fuel mass it injected into the cylinder.

The image above shows fuel calculations that are calculated as part of a standard direct injection application as this information is required to ensure the correct amount of fuel is sent to the fuel rail on a cyclic basis so that the fuel pressure is maintained at the required pressure. What should be noted is that the accuracy of these calculations is dependent on how well the compensation parameters are calibrated. So for example if an engine manufacture changed the position of the injectors then the calibration would need to change to account for different heating effects at the injector tip. This information would probably be determined by simulation and the accuracy of the compensation provided would be dependent on the resolution of the parameters used to calibrate it. Therefore all of these factors and dependency on multiple sensors mean that relying on fuel mass calculations to enforce a regulation would be fraught with problems. Sure if the teams canâ€™t overcome these problems then their engines will be lacking in performance and reliability as being able to accurately determine how much fuel is being injected into the cylinders plays an important role in engine tuning. The problem here is effort required to manage this approach as the FIA would also need to check the engine calibration as well as the software used by each car. So it would appear that using an independent and homologated fuel flow sensor appears to be the only way that this regulation can be enforced so lets hope that the technologies being adopted are accurate and robust enough to stand up to the harsh environment of motor racing.

Written by Cosworth Electronics, first published in Racecar Engineering December 2013 edition.
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Steve · Apr 30, 2014

Bernie's mantra, "follow the money", taking F1 to new places.

Azerbaijan says it has 2016 race deal (GPUpdate.net)

18:07 – Azerbaijan says that it has struck a deal to join the Formula 1 calendar from the 2016 season.

Reports emerged earlier in the year that a race would be held in Baku, the country's capital, from 2016, a year after it hosts the inaugural European Games.

But on the Inside The Games website, Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports, claims that a deal with Formula 1 will be announced imminently.

"We have signed the deal with Bernie Ecclestone and will announce it officially with an event in Baku shortly," he said.

Azerbaijan has hosted international motor-sport since 2012, while last year the FIA GT Series raced around a 2.72 mile street circuit in Baku.

It is unclear whether the race will take place around the streets of Baku, or whether a purpose built facility would be built for Formula 1's visit.
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Crashton · May 1, 2014

I still miss him. RIP Ayrton.

Steve · May 2, 2014

Senna fans may enjoy these two clips, found in an excellent story at racer.com: MALSHER: Ayrton Sennaâ€™s greatest races. I'll include Malsher's descriptions.

1987 Monza

Honda engines replaced Renaults at Lotus in 1987, but if Senna thought that would be the key to keeping pace with the dominant Williams-Hondas, heâ€™d rapidly realize otherwise. Lotus had introduced its active suspension on the 99T and while this had its benefits on street courses â€“ Ayrton scored a lucky win at Monaco after Mansell retired, and a dominant win at Detroit having not had to change tires â€“ the systemâ€™s drawbacks were plain to see on the faster tracks. The system used engine power, and made the car heavier than ideal, which hurt fuel consumption. In addition, the 99T was not an aerodynamic tour de force, which of course also hurt fuel mileage. At Paul Ricard and Silverstone, the Williams pair of Mansell and Piquet lapped Senna, which reveals just how much of a disadvantage Ayrton was working with. (It also indicates just how outstanding heâ€™d been in qualifying at Imola to take pole position â€“ his only one of the season.)

And so lateral thought had to be applied: Senna knew he couldnâ€™t win in a straight-up fight with Williams, and so heâ€™d have to take chances, try alternative strategies, especially at super-fast Monza, where Williams debuted its own active suspension (on Piquetâ€™s car) and Nelson took pole, 1.5sec faster than Senna and led fairly comfortably from the start. Senna, meanwhile ran fifth, but as Mansell, Thierry Boutsen, Gerhard Berger and Piquet stopped, he was into the lead. What now? Could Senna make it without a stop? Goodyear said it was possible but marginal; Ayrton himself said afterward, â€œI wanted to win this one or be nowhereâ€¦â€

With 20 laps to go, Sennaâ€™s lead was just under 10 seconds; 10 laps to go, it was just under fiveâ€¦and Piquet had blistered a tire trying to hunt his countryman down. This looked in the bag for Ayrton, but heâ€™d have to keep pushing hard. As he came up to lap Piercarlo Ghinzaniâ€™s Osella, he dived to the inside under braking for the Parabolica, and then the yellow Lotus started to run wide.

Amazingly, Senna kept it off the barriers â€“ honestly, have you ever seen a car go for this long through the Parabolica sandtrap without hitting anything solid and still able to rejoin the track?!

But, he lost the lead to Piquet. Over the remaining seven laps, Senna went flat-out to catch his countryman, ignoring the edgy state of his tires. He ended the race with fastest lap, but 1.8sec behind the Williams driver. The brave strategy gamble had failed, but only Senna could have made it even feasible.
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[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpJKHge6fPI"]1987 Italian Grand Prix (closing laps) - YouTube[/ame]

1993 Donington

Do we need words, or just this clip?

OK, let me just add this: Ayrtonâ€™s first-lap passing, particularly of Karl Wendlinger around the outside of Craner Curves, is audacious, and seems to defy physics: I canâ€™t imagine where he found that lateral grip. But what gets me just as much every time I watch this clip is the rate at which he pulled away from the Williams pair of Alain Prost and Damon Hill on laps two and three. Iâ€™m always thrilled to be at a racetrack, but standing down at the Old Hairpin that day, I felt privileged, too. I havenâ€™t seen a more dramatic demonstration of driving genius than Ayrton produced that day.
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[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwLEE420v20"]Ayrton Senna The Rain Master Donington 1993 Start - YouTube[/ame]

minimark · May 5, 2014

Maybe they should cloths pin playing cards to the wheels....[emoji57]

From motorsports:

May 5 (GMM) One proposed solution to the sound problem in Formula One this year is a "megaphone"-style exhaust.

The news was revealed by Toto Wolff, a chief at one of F1's three current engine suppliers, Mercedes.

Together with Ferrari and Renault, the engine-making trio is currently looking into how to turn up the controversially low volume of this year's new 1.6 litre V6 turbos.

Nico Rosberg, a Mercedes race driver, tipped a solution to be found ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix late this month.

"We will soon be in Monaco and I think we will hear a different sound there," the German said last weekend whilst visiting the DTM season opener at Hockenheim.

"I think it's important that we do work on it, because the noise is part of the show."

Last week, a meeting involving Bernie Ecclestone, Jean Todt and all 11 F1 team bosses took place in London, and top of the billing was the issue of cost cuts.

But also on the agenda was noise.

"We discussed what solutions there might be, and us at Mercedes also have our approaches and proposals," Wolff, also at Hockenheim for the DTM opener, is quoted by Speed Week.

He said some of the proposed solutions will be tested at the post-Spanish Grand Prix test next week.

"We will try them out on the car in Barcelona and see if they have the effect that we are looking for," said Wolff.

He revealed that the solutions are all focused on the area of the engine exhaust.

"We have some highly complex solutions within the exhaust system," said Wolff, "and also one like a 'megaphone' that simply opens up at the end -- with all the problems that brings with it," said Wolff.

"I do not know if the latter is what we should be doing in Formula One, but nevertheless we will come with our suggestions and approaches and see in Barcelona."

Steve · May 6, 2014

Ferrari struggling with lack of grip due to design defect in too narrow F14T (grandprix247.com)

6 May, 2014

Ferrari are enduring yet another below par start to their season, and the popular theory is that the new V6 turbo engine built by the Maranello outfit is down on power and overweight, but it is now emerging that the F14T is also plagued with a major design flaw which is hampering downforce.

Autosprint have clamed that Ferrariâ€™s 2014 challenger â€œsuffers from a congenital defect in the designâ€ which â€œto put it in a nutshell, is too narrow.â€

However there is an additional problem facing Ferrari. Autosprint claim that sources within Maranello have revealed that in the effort to package the F14T as aggressively and effectively as possible, the extreme narrowing of the side-pods has sacrificed downforce.

In other words engineers have failed to optimise the balance between downforce and streamlining the F14T, too much emphasis on the latter being the root of the problem.

The issue is reminiscent to the problems suffered by Sauber last year with their C32, which was tightly packaged, but sacrificed valuable downforce as a result of the narrower sidepods.

This would explain why the F14T is quick to step out of line in medium fast corners, having caught out Fernando Alonso and more often Kimi Raikkonen on a number of occasions this season during race weekends and in testing. It has also proved to be quite a handful in the wet.

In faster corners, where less downforce is required, the handling of the car is much more predictable and thus less tricky for the drivers.

The engine issue, where the too small turbo is a problem and has no quick fix as the V6 power unit freeze is now well and truly implemented, with Mercedes clearly enjoying an advantage in this area. Autosprint suggest that Ferrari are expected to test solutions to the problem, with new wider sidepods on the list of items to be tested during free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. (GP247)

Subbed by AJN.
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Steve · May 8, 2014

Azerbaijan set to welcome Formula 1 in 2015; Korea scrapped (racer.com)

Luke Smith | May 8, 2014, 10:30 AM EDT

Bernie Ecclestone has said that a deal has been signed with officials in Azerbaijan to take Formula 1 to the capital city of Baku in 2015.

The 83-year-old chief of Formula 1 first expressed an interest in holding a race – most probably the European Grand Prix – at the seaside city in March. Now, a deal has reportedly been signed, and the event will be a direct replacement for the Korean Grand Prix.

“I don’t want to go back there,” Ecclestone told The Independent. “They did a good job with the track but what they forgot to do was build all the things they wanted to build.”

The circuit at Yeongam was located some 4 hours from the capital of Seoul, and plans to build a city around the complex failed to come to fruition. In fact, the most notable event of the four races that took place in Korea was the appearance of the fire marshal’s truck mid-way through last year’s race.

The Indian Grand Prix was also dropped for 2014, but it is thought to still be in the running for an early season slot on the 2015 calendar. However, F1 will never return to Korea, and instead Ecclestone is looking to the future in Azerbaijan.

“Baku has been signed,” he said. “It will start in 2015 and will replace Korea.”

Azerbaijan may seem like an odd location for a grand prix, but other motorsport events have been hosted in Baku such as the FIA GT World Championship.

F1′s global expansion knows no bounds, but the future of the proposed Grand Prix of America in New Jersey and the Mexican Grand Prix is still unknown. Both races claim to have deals to feature on the 2015 calendar, but quite whether they get there is another story.

Likewise, for Baku, it might be a case of holding fire until 2016 to give time for plans to be formulated. Either way, it’s best for us to sharpen up on our Azerbaijani ahead of Formula 1′s next new event.
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Steve · May 8, 2014

Those who may have been watching closely back then, tell me what I'm seeing here.

Gilles Villeneuve, Canada, 1981. Is that front wing deranged or is it connected to the steering system so it points in the direction of the turn? Or am I just seeing things? :crazy:

Zapski · May 8, 2014

Did little research, and read that Villeneuve had contact with Arnoux, which sent the latter into a spin and off the track.

Perhaps the wing is bent as a result of that?

Zapski · May 8, 2014

Ah, so it may have been.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SmrV-FFC1w"]Gilles Villeneuve driving blind - YouTube[/ame]

Zapski · May 8, 2014

You can watch the whole race if you want, I can see that his wing is bent and looks like the photo by about the one hour, 8 minute mark, so there might have been more than one impact.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYY4N9j-yZg"]gp do canada 1981 (Canadian Grand Prix 1981) - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · May 8, 2014

Yup, I knew it was a crazy question moments after I posed it. If F1 cars ever had front wings that turn to follow the corners I'd love to hear about it.

I watched some of that video (thank you) and I'd be surprised if his wing didn't get tweaked on the first lap. It was definitely early, you can see it when they start following him after the 9 minute mark.

Crashton · May 9, 2014

Great news, I was worried you'd have no access to racing.

Zapski · May 9, 2014

Nice article over at Wired about the steering wheels in the cars. A bit long to quote here.

An Inside Look at the Insanely Complex Formula 1 Steering Wheel | Autopia | WIRED

Steve · May 9, 2014

Nathan said: ↑

Woohoo. Hospital has NBC Sports. I can watch F1
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Are you sure your ticker will be able to handle all that excitement? :biggrin5:

Nathan · May 9, 2014

Oh don't worry. They have me on a monitor. Every time my heart beats oddly the RN's are here in a flash.

Steve · May 9, 2014

Did anyone notice they've made some changes to the road course at IMS?

I don't usually have any time for Montoya but here's his take.

Montoya says 2005 Indy GP farce wouldn't have happened on revised course (racer.com)

Friday, 09 May 2014

Juan Pablo Montoya believes that the farcical 2005 U.S. Grand Prix would have been avoided if Formula 1 had raced on the Indianapolis road course being used by IndyCar this weekend.

F1's visit to the track descended into chaos in 2005 when Michelin discovered that its tires could not safely tolerate the loads generated on the banked section of the track.

All 14 Michelin-shod drivers, including Montoya, were forced to withdraw at the end of the parade lap, leaving the race to be fought out between the six Bridgestone-equipped Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi entries (LEFT).

The revised track layout mirrors the section of banking that serves as Turn 2 on the oval without actually using it, and Montoya is confident that the same configuration would have delivered a good grand prix in 2005.

"Absolutely," the Penske driver said. "I think F1 would have been really good here.

"They've done a really good job [with the track]. "The straights are really long, and they've gotten rid of the banking. You can still draft and pass people, so it's a nice compromise. All those little hairpins are gone.

"The first and second corners are very similar to how they were in F1, then the back straight is longer. The left-hander at the end of the straight is just as slow as it was in F1, but then it's followed by a couple of esses that are kind of weird; they've got a lot of rhythm to them."

Montoya said that he is still surprised that efforts by the Michelin teams to find a compromise with the FIA that would have allowed the full F1 grid to race in Indianapolis nine years ago were rejected.

"It was crazy," he said. "Back then, we told the FIA to put a chicane in and we'd race, even if we didn't score points. We just wanted to put on a show for the fans. But they just said, 'You brought the wrong tires, your fault.' They have a bit of a different approach [in F1] to here."

The F1 configuration of the Indianapolis road course remained in use until 2008, after which the U.S. Grand Prix took a three-year sabbatical before rejoining the world championship at Circuit of The Americas in Austin in 2012.

Originally on Autosport.com
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mrntd · May 10, 2014

Truth on that tire issue Michelin either did or could have had the right tires there for the race. But chose not to as a political protest.

They had been on that track the year before so they know what the track was like.

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