Explaining Engineering - F1

As we looked into rear wing in the previous blog. Now we are going to look into some minor aerodynamic devices which are going to aid the main aerodynamic device or major aerodynamic work independently to help produce effective downforce. Slots , cutouts and end plates of rear wing           Source : motorsport.com As there is a low pressure zone under the aerofoil , the air from above tends to move down the aerofoil to form vortices, which is a turbid flow and slows down the air flow , that means high drag. To over come this a end plate is kept at both the corners of aerofoil which prevent the movement of air sideways . But It also tends to form another type of vortices known as Wing tip vortices , which occurs at the tip of aerofoil that is at the top of end plate.  To overcome this again , slots are placed in the end plate. So some energy rich air pass through this slot that create a high pressure area outside the wing. Then the cutout plays a huge role in creating counter vortices

Another Sunday , that means another post from Explaining Engineering. Before starting this weeks topic , I would like to thank everyone for your over whelming responses. Coming to this week topic , as I told before we are going to look into aerodynamic devices , but to understand them a little science is required. Let us first get into science part of today's topic. Source : Autosport.com I have mentioned air tends to follow the surface of the car , but a question is raised on me, why air tends to follow the surface. Answer is simple , molecular adhesion and friction. Air tends to attach to the surface with the help of static friction. between air and molecules and air. This adhesion of air and surface is really very helpful in getting some downforce ,also known as negative lift in terms of SAE. There are number of ways to create downforce , but the main and maximum amount of downforce is produced with the help rear wings. Thanks to Bernoulli . To understand how rear wings work

From saying aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines (-Enzo Ferrari, Founder Scuderia Ferrari) to Aerodynamics are for winners ( Mattia Binotto , Team Principle Scuderia Ferrari) . Times have changed. Aerodynamics is the study of air , that reacts when comes in contact with the vehicle. Whatever might be the engine size , whatever might be the engine power, a little aerodynamics will definitely boost the performance to an extent. In this blog we will briefly look in to the aerodynamics in F1 car , and various aerodynamic devices used in the car. Imagine throwing a pencil and a paper from the balcony? which lands first? Yeah , obviously the pencil. Even tho the work done by the gravity is same on both objects , the paper is slower than the pencil. The reason that makes pencil fast is the exact same reason what makes F1 cars fast. It is very important for a car to as sleek as as it can be. This not only increase the speed ( acceleration) but also increase the efficiency of

Transmission is another very important aspect of a Formula 1 car. You would have noticed shifting gears to achieve various speed. But the actual purpose of gear box is to make vehicle quicker. To know better about this , we need to know a little about how IC engine produce power. IC engines, produce power by burning fuel , which kicks the piston that reciprocate and rotate a crank. Which convert this linear motion in to rotating motion. The force produced on the piston by combustion is applied on the crank of some radius, which causes torque in the body that rotates the shaft connected to it through which rotation is produced. When Ic engine is working at lower rpm, it ultimately means the air-fuel mixture supplied to engine is low so less power is generated. So force on piston will be less. Ultimately torque will be less. Okay, if you ask me what torque is, For every object to move we need force Likewise for every object to rotate, we need torque which is again a component of f

 The Dark Art As we saw about the power unit in the previous week, We are going to look at something that is going to deliver the power from power unit. If you ask any engineer , what part of a car you don’t want to work on, his answer will be simple , TIRES . Yes , you read it correct. Tires are the most ignored aspect of a car when it comes to customer point of view , but it is a nightmare for engineers. Indeed tires are considered dark arts of Vehicle Engineering. This is because tires are the one part, that is made up of n number of assumptions. In fact, no two tire made up of same manufacturer of same profile is same . Let us look into them in this post. Ever wondered, How a metal tube of maximum 5 inch could manage to take the part load of a car? But the honest truth is rubber made tires carry the full load of a car. Imagine how strong these tires had to made.   Tires are the only part that are in contact with the ground, which means , whatever has to be done in between vehicle

  In the previous post , we had looked in to the aspect why Formula 1 produce better result , but still it is not fastest car? Why. Formula 1 engines are made in such a way that they are quickest. Still not clear? , a Veyron can rev up to 6400 RPM, and takes up to 14.4s to reach a speed of 300kmph, while F1 cars at the other hand can rev up to 15000 RPM, and can reach 300Kmph in 8.4s .So   Formula 1 engines can maintain a high average speed. While Veyron can’t even stand against it. But did you imagine how 15000 rpm looks like? How it is achieved? Formula 1 power unit is said to be the most efficient power unit in the world. You read it right. Formula 1 engines has a efficiency of about 50%, which was previously just 17%. What made it possible ? When you classify energy on the basis of conversion efficiency , Electrical energy are heroes. F1 was keen on increasing the efficiency as well as not damaging the tradition. So F1 turned hybrid. Where ICE is assisted with a electric motor