Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2021 i Racecar Engineering

It won’t be news to you that there is a lot of development work going on in the world of cell technology for traction batteries. The current trend with cell chemistries is for the high capacity cells to become higher capacity at the sacrifice of peak power, while the high power cells are becoming more powerful at the sacrifice of capacity. Lithium-ion based nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cell technology is currently the most widely used for batteries in vehicle traction drive applications. However, this cell chemistry is approaching the practical limitations of the energy density of lithium-ion. Widely available high energy density lithium-ion cells have around 270W h/kg, and the practical limit is considered to be approximately 300W h/kg. Because of this, many high performance traction drive cell firms believe…

‘All our raw material is waste, and cannot be used by animal or human feeding’Romain Aubry, multi-energy technical manager at TotalEnergies This is not the first time endurance racing has experimented with plant-based fuels. As long ago as 2003, the British Nasamax team took to the track at Le Mans with a bio ethanol-fuelled Reynard. Since then, the fuel has gone through several iterations, notably in the ALMS, where first and second-generation waste was used in its production. However, these were oxygenated fuels, which meant they did not have the calorific value of fossil-based fuels. What also became apparent was that produce that could have been used for human or animal consumption was instead being grown to provide fuel. ‘We are putting into competition biofuel rather than food,’ says Aubry.…

The Mission R rolls on 18in, centre lock Cup wheels. With smooth-surfaced carbon aeroblades, the magnesium wheels are flow optimised, their twin spokes milled to save weight. Michelin, long-standing tyre partner of Porsche, has developed new slicks exclusively for the Mission R with a 30/68 (front) and 31/71 (rear) tyre format. They consist of bio-based and renewable materials, which is a key component in the overall sustainable concept of the Mission R. The tyres also have a high resistance to wear and are protected against damage caused by deposits on the racetrack. The collaboration with Michelin also included networking with the vehicle. The tyres can be fitted with sensors that communicate in real time with the on-board electronics during a race and provide the driver with information on tyre wear.…

Schaeffler believes that by 2035, around 30 per cent of all new cars and light commercial vehicles will be operated at least partially by automated system, while half of them will offer the capability for highly automated driving. ‘The increasing automation of driving functions on the road to fully autonomous vehicles also imposes more rigorous requirements on chassis applications in respect to reliability and safety,’ says Viktor Molnar, president chassis systems business division at Schaeffler. ‘We are continuing to ramp up our activities at component and system level, and are well on track to becoming a preferred technology partner for intelligent drive and chassis solutions.’…

Over the years, I have spoken at length about what you can do with simulation, and how myself and others in the ChassisSim community have applied this to great effect. However, up to now I’ve been the one doing all the talking. But over the last 18 months, ChassisSim has been working with RML Group to incorporate the ChassisSim Lap Time and Driver-in-the-Loop (DiL) tools with its internal tools. What has made this integration particularly exciting is incorporating the DIL engine with the RML Group’s powertrain modules. For the purposes of this article, it serves as a useful insight into how the bigger motorsport engineering operations go about their business. Don’t take my word for it though. This month’s article is straight from the horse’s mouth, or at least that…

Thomas Laudenbach has been named as Porsche’s new motorsport boss, taking over from Fritz Enzinger from 1 October. The German, 53, was formerly head of Porsche’s drivetrain department in racing before switching to Audi to head up the development of its hybrid system. Enzinger led the motorsport department since 2011, and sought to hand the reigns to Andreas Seidl before the latter took up a job with McLaren. Composites firm, YCOM, is working with Manta Aircraft to develop and manufacture prototypes of the first personal hybrid electric vertical and short take-off and landing aircraft. YCOM is accelerating aircraft development by applying its advanced engineering and composite materials expertise to the creation of the prototypes. The FIA has signed an agreement to provide the ESE Entertainment brand with marketing rights for…

What can you expect from this year’s show? The UK’s largest annual gathering of engineering professionals, Advanced Engineering UK, will return to the NEC, Birmingham on 3-4 November 2021. Here, the UK’s vast and talented engineering industry can meet again for the first time in almost two years to do business, make new connections and discover innovation. This year, there will be seven show zones: aerospace; composites; automotive; performance metals; connected manufacturing; medical devices and, new for 2021, space and satellite. Also, for the first time, Advanced Engineering UK’s sister show, Lab Innovations, will take place in the same hall. Advanced Engineering UK hopes that having so many sectors under one roof will enable cross-industry collaboration and the formation of new business relationships after 18 months of limited interactions. Leading…

Lest the Spa GP debacle fade too quickly from memories, especially those who have the authority to make changes, it is worth examining what could be done to avoid a repeat. Firstly, however, the criticisms from public and media regarding the decisions on continually delaying, and then subsequently declaring the race run after just two laps behind the safety car, are understandable, but generally naïve. Yes, business and political concerns were as much part of this as the safety of drivers, track marshals and spectators given the awful conditions, but why is this regarded as wrong, or cynical? Of course much of the decision was about money! Where does Lewis Hamilton imagine his colossal retainer derives from, if not from this same financial structure? The realities of organising, promoting, running…

Extreme E’s nature means it needs a robust grip solution for the tyres to provide traction in the wild off-road environments in which it competes. The tyres must deal with sand, rocks, water, ice and mud, as well as extremes of hot and cold temperatures. The series turned to the Continental group for the answer, and the tyre company designed the CrossContact tyres specifically for this arduous challenge. Additionally, each Extreme E tyre is fitted with a wireless sensor array called ContiConnect, which provides the engineers with valuable insight into tyre inflation pressure and temperature in real time. This technology advantage allows the drivers to focus on driving while the engineers collect data to develop the car. As the drivers come from a wide range of racing disciplines, there’s every…

There was some consternation in the GT paddock when it was revealed the category would run at Le Mans in 2021 with E10 fuel, rather than E20 used in 2020. Balance of Performance changes were quickly made, particularly to the Ferrari 488 GTE car, reducing its fuel capacity before the race, but TotalEnergies say this was not only due to the introduction of the fuel, which was intended to bring it closer into line with pump-based petrol. ‘When we did the introduction of Excellium Endurance, the fuel used on track, the idea was to come back to something closer to pump fuel,’ explains technical manager, Romain Aubry. ‘Previously it was E20 and, when we decided to introduce the renewable hydrocarbon, we decided to come back to closer to a standard…

Porsche is investing a double-digit million-euro amount in the new Cellforce Group GmbH. Cellforce’s production facility is scheduled to go into operation in 2024 with an initial annual capacity of at least 100MWh, and will produce batteries for around 1000 motorsport and high-performance vehicles. The chemistry of the new high-performance cells is based on silicon as the anode material, which makes it possible to significantly increase energy density compared with current standard batteries. This means the batteries can be made more compact but with the same energy content. The new chemistry also reduces internal resistance, which allows the battery to absorb more energy during recuperation. Fast charging can also be carried out more efficiently. Another special feature of the Cellforce battery cell is it will be better able to tolerate…

Formula 1 teams are pushing for a further increase to the minimum weight for the 2022 cars in a bid to save costs, according to Alfa Romeo’s technical director, Jan Monchau. Talking to Dieter Rencken for Racefans.net, Monchau revealed that the increase of 38kg planned for 2022 could lead to expensive weight-saving materials and techniques being used, which would add complexity to the challenge of meeting the cost cap. ‘The biggest discussion point lately where all the teams have a clear opinion is the minimum weight,’ says Monchau. ‘We think a couple of kilos more would certainly help, but also help save costs. It’s one thing to achieve a target, but at some point its gets very, very expensive.’ The increased weight is partly due to the move to 18in…

Formula E has joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and the Business Ambition Pledge for 1.5degC commitment. The SBTi is a partnership between the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI), CDP and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and is the lead partner of the Business Ambition for 1.5degC campaign, an urgent call to action from a global coalition of UN agencies, business and industry leaders in mobilising companies to set science-based, net zero targets in line with a 1.5degC future. Announced during Climate Week NYC on the one-year anniversary of Formula E becoming the first and only racing category to be certified net zero carbon since inception, the new commitment corresponds to cutting the championship’s emissions by 45 per cent by 2030. This is in…

Pipo Moteurs carried out all its pre-manufacture engine tests on a four-cylinder unit, as it could carry the engine behaviour directly over to each bank of the V8 The 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans, held over the weekend of 21-22 August 2021 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, saw Jim Glickenhaus’ dream of designing and building a Le Mans win competitive car come true. From a blank piece of paper to lights out at the circuit, the Glickenhaus 007C Hypercar came to fruition in 18 months. With the rulebook for the Hypercar class very fluid throughout the process, the 007C’s evolution, as with the other Hypercar competitors, was challenging – particularly in the powertrain department. Glickenhaus appointed Guilherand-Granges, France-based race engine specialists, Pipo Moteurs, to design and build the…

You really cannot reverse engine rotation with any transmission that has helical gears Q This isn’t a suspension question, but it relates to handling, specifically, what to use for an engine and where to mount it. I’m interested in building a small car with a rear mid-engine. I’d like to use an older VW transaxle for reasons of cost, and I’m told you can flip the ring gear in these, mount them backwards and still have four forward gears. However, some people say that’s a bad idea because everything except the ring gear turns backwards and the gears drive on the coast side of the teeth. Can you shed any light on this? THE CONSULTANT This depends on the reason you want to flip the ring gear. If you are…

The law of unintended consequences is a feature in motor racing, and this year has been no different. As Formula 1 teams look to save costs by raising the minimum weight of the 2022 cars close to 800kg for the first time ever, there is the small matter of the amount of energy such a weighty car will have to dissipate in the event of an accident. This may seem a trivial matter but, in today’s world with a global television audience rarely exposed to the true dangers of racing, this is going to matter more and more over the coming years. Evidence surrounding this argument is not hard to find. In the Spa 24 hours in July, Jack Aitken crashed his Lamborghini at the Raidillon complex and suffered two…