R&D Equipment in F1

[newabb]

Hi everyone,

Do you know what are the most important equipment / devices for f1 engine component research and development?

I know about wind tunnel but cmiiw it’s for aerodynamics.

Thanks

Abbey

[RacingManiac]

dynomometer, flowbench, and some sort of simulation package?

[Callum]

yeah, some CFD software to guage stress/strain and maybe to simulate combustion.

[kilcoo316]

Do you know what are the most important equipment / devices for f1 engine component research and development?

In an experimental sense it will be the engine dyna, then loads of readings can be taken from it and extrapolated back to ascertain what is happening within the engine.


From numerics, it will be finite element analysis - the stress fields of every component will be designed and optimised with FEA.

I suppose CFD will be used for the combustion cycle, but the number of components that directly affects is somewhat limited (in comparison to the FE work).

[xpensive]

Some sort of lifting device will most likely be useful as well.

[nudger]

a lot of engine development is done using a single cylinder engine, with a specifically designed single cylinder engine dyno. Save lots of money and time

[kilcoo316]

a lot of engine development is done using a single cylinder engine, with a specifically designed single cylinder engine dyno. Save lots of money and time

Its usefulness would be restricted to the valves and cylinder head design though wouldn't it?


Nothing would be useable from the wee-end down... and even the valve data wouldn't include the pressure pulses from the other valves.

[CMSMJ1]

a lot of engine development is done using a single cylinder engine, with a specifically designed single cylinder engine dyno. Save lots of money and time

Its usefulness would be restricted to the valves and cylinder head design though wouldn't it?


Nothing would be useable from the wee-end down... and even the valve data wouldn't include the pressure pulses from the other valves.

That doesn't follow Kilcoo.

Single cylinder flow benches are proven technology. You don't need to build a V8 to design one that works..

/snip - "even the valve data wouldn't include the pressure pulses from the other valves" Could you please explain further? I don't catch your drift.

The valves on each cylinder are independant form the valces on other cylinders are they not? What pulses?

[axle]

a lot of engine development is done using a single cylinder engine, with a specifically designed single cylinder engine dyno. Save lots of money and time

Its usefulness would be restricted to the valves and cylinder head design though wouldn't it?


Nothing would be useable from the wee-end down... and even the valve data wouldn't include the pressure pulses from the other valves.

They can calculate the pulses and how they would fit together, that's how they determine firing order and runner length.

[kilcoo316]

Single cylinder flow benches are proven technology. You don't need to build a V8 to design one that works..

I know you don't.

But, when talking about the margins of F1 you do need a full bench to get one working 100%... 98 or 99% isn't good enough.

/snip - "even the valve data wouldn't include the pressure pulses from the other valves" Could you please explain further? I don't catch your drift.

The valves on each cylinder are independant form the valces on other cylinders are they not? What pulses?

The pulses from the opening and closing of the other inlet valves will affect the local air pressure at the cylinder in question.

Therefore, to properly capture the valve flowfield - you need to consider the effects of these pressure pulses on the local cylinder inlet valves. Otherwise your just producing erroneous data if you want to get totally optimised designs.

[kilcoo316]

They can calculate the pulses and how they would fit together, that's how they determine firing order and runner length.

Then is that replicated as an inlet condition for the 1 cyclinder engine?

[CMSMJ1]

The pulses from the opening and closing of the other inlet valves will affect the local air pressure at the cylinder in question.

Therefore, to properly capture the valve flowfield - you need to consider the effects of these pressure pulses on the local cylinder inlet valves. Otherwise your just producing erroneous data if you want to get totally optimised designs.

This is what I do not understand. The inlet valves in an engine are downstream of an individual throttle body and up stream of a single piston.

How do the inlet valves neighbours have any bearing on this isolated little valve?

[kilcoo316]

This is what I do not understand. The inlet valves in an engine are downstream of an individual throttle body

How do the inlet valves neighbours have any bearing on this isolated little valve?

The butterfly in the body must correspond to the valve timing.

And the airbox stagnation pressure profiles over the throttle bodies will be affected by its exposure to the various throttle intake manifolds - as they are all at different pressures due to the firing sequence.

Therefore the flow into each intake manifold will be determined by the airbox pressure profile - and this flow forms pressure fluctations within the manifold - especially considering the rev range we are talking about.

This variable flow will affect the valve operation.


You could assume the valve is drawing from a constant pressure reservoir, but how accurate would that be? 98%, 99%?

Accurate enough for an F1 engine?

[xpensive]

Pardon an ignorant question, how do you simulate the effect of the airbox when developing the engine in the test-bench?

[RacingManiac]

Pardon an ignorant question, how do you simulate the effect of the airbox when developing the engine in the test-bench?

You mean like Ram-air? Can't just just force air into the airbox at speed?