trailer world issue Two 2008

Title 8 Issue Two 2008 At every Grand Prix, a computer network is established. While the vehicles pass the pits at full speed, the telemetry data is registered by over 150 sensors, and relayed back to the pit team in fractions of a second. A whole team of engineers examines all the curves and diagrams on their laptops. Around 40 kilometres of cable are laid for the power supply and the IT network by a team of 13 technicians. The detailed monitoring of the vehicle on the circuit is also essential to pro- tect the driver against unpleasant surprises and underpin subjective impressions with hard technical data. The times are however long gone when a driver could dispute every possible mistake. Driving and oper- ating errors are more apparent than ever in the age of high-technology. The head of the whole organisation and chief coordinator in the BMW pit is Willy Rampf, Technical Direc- tor of the BMW Sauber F1 Team. For the perfect suspension adjustment, engine and gearbox setting, tech- nicians and drivers analyse every curve, every straight and every un- dulation in the surface of the course. Revolutions, temperature and other measurement data from the engine, gearbox and other assemblies, sus- pension movements, inclination angles and many other measurable characteristics are meticulously eva- luated. The biometric ﬁgures of the driver also play a decisive role in this respect. For example, the aver- age temperature in the driving position is ap- prox. 50 °C, the driver loses around two kilos of body weight, and his pulse rate is higher than that of a marathon runner. Pit boss Rampf expresses his conﬁdence shortly before the half-way race of the cur- rent season at the British Grand Prix at Sil- verstone: “We have learned some interest- ing lessons at the test in Silverstone. Anyone who wants to turn in a fast lap here needs a car with very good aerodynamic balance. The course is characterised by the many me- dium-fast and fast curves, through which the drivers must maintain as much speed as possible. The course surface is quite rough, which places correspondingly heavy stress on the tyres. For this reason, the hardest compounds are used here.” Rampf himself is also under enormous stress every moment of the qualifying and the race. Under enor- mous time pressure, decisions are demand- ed of him which can result in success or to- tal failure. Not only does he coordinate the pit team, he is also responsible for the stocks of spare parts and technical equipment, which are diﬀerent for every race, depending on the local conditions. For ﬁne tuning of the in- dividual gears to the relevant circuit, the choice can be made from more than 50 dif- ferent transmission ratios. The team has to put in at least eight hours of work after a race in order to dismantle the vehicle, check or replace individual com- ponents and put the vehicle back together, while the assembly of the BMW P86/8 engine alone requires around 120 working hours. The engine consists of around 1,100 diﬀerent individual parts, and counting components this comes to a total of around 5,000 parts, most of which must be continually available ex-stock. When the vehicle returns to the pit during training or qualifying, oil samples are taken and subjected to spectrometer exami- nation in the pits. The metallic traces in the oil provide important information on the condition of the engine. The racing gearbox also undergoes tremendous stresses, and is manufactured and maintained with maxi- mum precision. The installation of a new gearbox takes around 40 working hours. No wonder, because with the associated hydrau- lics it consists of approx. 1,500 parts. For test-stand trials and test and race use, about 20 gearboxes are manufactured, which are subsequently overhauled several times. The oil temperature within the gearbox reaches up to 150 °C. During the gear-change proc- ess a gear can be disengaged and a new gear engaged within 0.0004 seconds. A wink of the eye takes ﬁfty times longer. Innovative bearings with ceramic race linings guide the shafts in the gearbox with the mini- mum of oil. Numerous technical develop- ments, such as the use of high- heat-resistant ceramics enable the Formula 1 teams to improve the performance of their vehicles, to the extent that the vehicles these days cannot even be started without the aid of a notebook computer. A highly sophisticated IT infrastruc- ture oﬀers the teams the basis for the continual development of their vehicles, and guarantees prompt and accurate information and data, which are decisive for the overall team performance. With an acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h in approx. 2.6 seconds, and to 200 km/h in 5.2 seconds, the decel- eration from 200 to 0 km/h in 2 sec- onds or 55 m is truly breathtaking. During such extreme braking manoeuvres, drivers are subjected to forces similar to those expe- rienced during the launch of a space-shuttle. The carbon brake discs and linings are quite happy at 550-650 °C, and during braking reach temperatures of over 1,000 °C. A great problem if a brake caliper or lining has to be changed during the race: the red-hot brakes ﬁrst have to be cooled down to a manageable temperature using liquid nitrogen, before the mechanics can change them. The team management has to work out its pit strategy for the race depending on the circuit, the championship situation and the weather conditions. The more »The carbon brake discs reach a temperature of over 1,000 °C during braking. During the race, the red-hot brakes have to be cooled down with liquid nitrogen before they can be replaced.« Willy Rampf, Technical Director of the BPW Sauber F1 Team

trailer world issue Two 2008

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