Gives a general idea about the formula 1 championship and the history of the cars used in the championships. Helps to understand the aerodynamics of the f1 cars.
2. Table of contents
Sr. No. Title Slide No.
1 What is formula one ? 4
2 Engine 5
3 Current season engine 7
4 Energy storage 10
5 Fuel efficiency 15
6 Aerodynamics 16
7 Safety 28
8 Reference links 29
9 Reference video links 30
10 Thank you 31
3. What is formula one ?
Formula One is the highest class of international racing for
single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
The word formula in the name refers to the set of rules.
Capable of lateral acceleration of 6.5 g.
Highest speed goes up to 360km/hr.
Global audience of 527 million in the last FIA
championship.
Third largest followed event after FIFA world cup and
Olympics
4. There are 10 teams with 2 drivers in each team.
A Formula One Grand Prix is a sporting event which takes place over three days (usually Friday
to Sunday), with a series of practice and qualifying sessions prior to the race on Sunday.
As of 2021, the hybrid engines are limited in performance to a maximum of 15,000 rpm.
5. ENGINE
Formula One currently uses 1.6 litre four-stroke turbocharged 90 degree V6 double-
overhead camshaft (DOHC) reciprocating engines.
A double overhead cam, dual overhead cam, or twin-cam engine has two camshafts per
bank of the cylinder head, one each for the intake valves and exhaust valves.
They were introduced in 2014 and have been developed over the subsequent seasons.
Since the 1990s, all Formula One engine manufacturers used pneumatic valve springs
with the pressurized air allowing engines to reach speeds of over 20,000 rpm.
The engine layout has been different since 1966 from team to team some where using
H16,V12,V8,I4.
The new regulations allow kinetic and heat energy recovery systems.
The engines rarely exceed 12,000 rpm during qualifying and race, due to the new fuel
flow restrictions.
7. POWER UNIT
It consists of
Engine
Turbocharger
Motor Generator Unit–
Heat (MGU-H)
Motor Generator Unit–
Kinetic (MGU-K)
BATTERY
8. CURRENT SEASON ENGINE
The FIA announced to change the 2.4-litre V8 to 1.6-litre V6 hybrid engines for the 2014
season. The new regulations allow kinetic and heat energy recovery systems.
Forced induction is now allowed, and instead of limiting the boost level, fuel flow
restriction at 100 kg of gasoline per hour maximum is introduced.
The engines sounded very different due to the lower rev limit (15,000 rpm) and the
turbocharger. While superchargers are allowed, all constructors opted to use a turbo.
The new formula allows turbocharged engines, which last appeared in 1988. These have
their efficiency improved through turbo-compounding by recovering energy from
exhaust gases.
The original proposal for four-cylinder turbocharged engines was not welcomed by the
racing teams, in particular Ferrari.
9. Adrian Newey stated during the 2011 European Grand Prix that the change to
a V6 enables teams to carry the engine as a stressed member, whereas an
inline-4 would have required a space frame.
A compromise was reached, allowing V6 forced induction engines instead.
The engines rarely exceed 12,000 rpm during qualifying and race, due to the
new fuel flow restrictions.
Energy recovery systems such as KERS had a boost of 160 hp (120 kW) and 2
megajoules per lap.
KERS was renamed Motor Generator Unit–Kinetic (MGU-K). Heat energy
recovery systems were also allowed, under the name Motor Generator Unit–
Heat (MGU-H)
The 2015 season was an improvement on 2014, adding about 30–50 hp (20–
40 kW) to most engines, the Mercedes engine being the most powerful with
870 hp (649 kW)
11. ENERGY STORAGE
These units generate and make use of energy that is stored in an extra Energy
Store (ES) or Energy Storage System (ESS), which is essentially a large lithium ion
battery.
It is regulated to weigh between 20 and 25kg. They are also regulated with
regards to how much energy they can store and provide.
When deployed, the power boost translates into totals of around 300BHP for
around 30 seconds each lap, which is obviously of massive advantage to the
drivers.
The MGU-K is used to harvest “waste” energy from the wheels under
deceleration and provide this to the energy store to be used later.
The MGU-H works in a similar way, although it is linked with the turbocharger.
The MGU-K can harvest 2MJ per lap and deploy 4MJ per lap, while the MGU-H
can harvest an unlimited amount, but only deploy 2MJ per lap.
Energy from the MGU-H can either be used to power the MGU-K or sent to the
Energy Store.
12. TURBO CHARGER
The turbocharger is a key component of these engines,
and itself is made up of two main parts.
The turbine is the first part, and this is connected to the
waste gate of the engine.
The exhaust gases from the engine flow out of the
waste gate to the turbine, and they then spin the
turbine, which is connected via a shaft to a compressor.
This compressor spins with the turbine, drawing in extra
air and pushing this air into the engine.
This increases the amount of oxygen available to be
sent into the engine, which allows the engine to burn
more fuel faster for more power.
The MGU-H is attached to the turbocharger and works
in a similar way to the MGU-K to send “waste” energy to
the energy store.
13. KINETIC ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEM
(KERS)
A kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) is an automotive system for recovering a
moving vehicle's kinetic energy under braking.
The recovered energy is stored in a reservoir (for example a flywheel or high
voltage batteries) for later use under acceleration.
Examples include complex high end systems such as the Zytek, Flybrid,[1] Torotrak
and Xtrac used in Formula One racing.
14. Motor Generator Unit–Heat (MGU-H)
The MGU-H is located between the turbine and the
compressor, and this excess exhaust gas is sent
through it.
The MGU-H has a motor in it, which spins when the
exhaust gases pass through it.
Converting the kinetic energy of the hot exhaust
gases into electrical energy through the process
described above, with the spinning magnets in the
motor generating electricity in the wiring.
This energy is sent to the energy storage system.
After the driver releases the gas pedal, the exhaust
gases stop going through the MGU-H, and then
when they press the accelerator again, the energy
storage system sends electricity directly to the
compressor to get it spinning straight away.
15. Motor Generator Unit–Kinetic (MGU-K)
The Motor Generator Unit - Kinetic (usually
abbreviated as MGU-K) is a component of a hybird-
electric power unit.
The unit is both an electric generator and motor.
Connected directly to the crankshaft of the Internal
Combustion Engine (ICE) by gears, it performs two
functions: under acceleration it helps power the
engine, and under braking it uses the energy that
would have been dissipated as heat to recharge the
batteries.
It goes through that cycle several times each lap:
drawing electricity to help the engine deliver power,
and generating electricity while helping the engine
slow the car.
Over time, a side benefit has become apparent:
modern F1 cars do not carry starter motors, but a car
that has traveled in a practice session or race will
have enough stored energy to re-start the engine,
therefore duplicating the function of a starter.
16. Fuel Efficiency
F1 regulations have had a massive push towards fuel efficiency in recent years.
The 2020 Mercedes engine is now over 50% thermal efficient, meaning that over half of the
energy in the fuel is used to propel the car, which is an increase from around 44% in 2014
when these engines were introduced.
As a normal road car
reaches only around 30%
thermal efficiency this
demonstrates the strides in
efficiency in F1.
17. AERODYNAMICS
Aerodynamics play a fundamental role in the overall setup of a Formula One car.
An air duct panel between the front wheel and the side panel, for instance, can add
more speed than two or three extra horsepower.
The teams invest as much as up to 20% of their total budget in understanding the
aerodynamics of the car.
Modern F1 cars can drive corners much faster than normal, commercial cars, and this
would not be possible without downforce.
Meticulous precision work is undertaken using computations and experiments in
wind tunnels to accurately tailor the wings and the wind deflectors to the last
millimeter.
This design is aimed at increasing the downforce and reducing the drag.
These are the main perspectives which engineers keep in mind while designing the
aerodynamics of an F1 car:
18. Front Wing:
The first part we see on the front is definitely the front wing.
Being the first means that it’s the first part of the car that interacts with the air, therefore
having an important job to determine the under stream flow through the rest of the car.
The front wing generates 25% to 40% total downforce.
Major design modification lies on the endplates and flaps of the wing, aiming to reduce
tip vortex and wake of the front wheel, which is one of the biggest drag components.
In addition, ducts and slots are becoming popular in recent years, as can be seen in
Mercedes W duct in 2011 and DDRS in 2012.
20. Barge Board:
These are vertical panels located between the front wheels and sidepods.
It deals with the dirty air produced by the front wheels, guiding and smoothing air
flow into the sidepod.
In recent years’ designs, it may also have the function of feeding more air into the
diffuser.
21. Sidepod:
Sidepod is the part alongside the cockpit that accommodates the radiator and engine
exhaust.
Main Function of Sidepod is to 1) cool down the engine and gearbox; 2) control underbody
flow to generate desired downforce.
The profile of sidepods are varied significantly on different cars based on different
aerodynamics configuration.
A memorable design is the McLaren L-shaped sidepod on MP4-26 in 2011.
22. Rear Wing:
With the use of F duct and DRS, the rear wing is always under spotlight in recent
seasons.
We’re talking about rear wing assembly here which normally consists of two sets of
airfoil.
The upper set is the main downforce generator including DRS, while the lower set is
known as the beam wing.
The whole rear wing sets generate 30% to 40% total downforce.
23.
24. Adjustable Rear Flap (DRS):
Flap on the rear wing whose angle of attack can be adjusted by the driver in order to
reduce drag.
25. F duct:
A driver controlled drag reduction system, in which a slot gap is opened on the rear wing
flap. This air flow through the gap is able to stall the wing, therefore reducing drag.
26. Beam Wing:
A single element wing at the lower part of the rear wing that helps regulate the air below
the upper rear wing sets and improves diffuser performance. As F duct mounted on the
upper flap is banned, there is now more aerodynamics consideration taken into the beam
wing design.
27. Airbox:
The opening channel above the driver's head that guides fresh and cold air to the cylinder for
cooling purposes.
Nevertheless, besides the conventional aim of cooling, the air flow through the airbox can be
utilized to generate more downforce/reduce drag by guiding it later to the desired parts on
the rear wing assembly.
F duct is a good example making advantage of this air flow. It’s also suspected that the Lotus
E20 DDRS/ Super DRS has a tricky design of ‘ear’ inside the airbox.
28. SAFETY
Formula 1 cars have multiple safety features that save lives.
These include roll bars and a halo to protect the driver’s head.
A virtually indestructible survival cell to prevent the driver from being crushed
during an accident, as well as a fuel tank made from the same material as
bulletproof, and much more.
A double overhead cam, dual overhead cam, or twin-cam engine has two camshafts per bank of the cylinder head one each for the intake valves and exhaust valves. Therefore there are two camshafts for a straight engine and a total of four camshafts for a V engine or a flat engine.