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Weight Saving Tactics in F1 Design
The foundation of weight saving in F1 is material choice. Each individual component starts with design engineers performing calculations and tests to figure out what material yields the best strength-to-weight ratios. The monocoque is a prime example of this. It uses pre-preg carbon fibre, a carbon fabric that is pre-impregnated with resin, which is laid…
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Why Do F1 Teams Spend So Much Money on Titanium and Carbon Fibre
Spending upwards of £10 million on an F1 car might seem logical if the money went towards the engine. Guess again. It’s the high price of Titanium and Carbon FIbres that make building an F1 car so costly. To better understand why they would spend so much money on materials we have to understand the…
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How Amateur Motorsport Teams Select Budget-Friendly Materials
Being part of an amateur motorsport team means you tackle the same engineering problems as the big dogs like Formula 1, but with a measly 0.1% of the budgets. This means making some very tough decisions regarding what materials can be used. Carbon fibre monocoques are not within the realm of possibility, nor are Inconel…
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Why Are F1 Cars So Fast? The Important Materials
When a person sees an F1 car accelerate to 100 mph in 3 seconds, they know they are seeing an engineering marvel. The engines get a lot of focus, but the real speed comes from the materials they use to build the car. F1 sees the value in their materials and weighs the value of…
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How Innovative Materials Progress in Motorsport
The phrase “Race on Sunday, sell on Monday” suggests a successful race could lead to sales on the Monday after the event. This is particularly relevant in the automotive industry. However, it does take longer than a day for technology to trickle down from motorsport to road cars. The advancement of materials technology in road…
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The Science Behind the Exhaust Systems
It may look like a collection of basic metal tubes, but an F1 exhaust system is a carefully crafted component of the car. The engineering challenges involved in the designing, shaping, and manufacturing of each part stretches the limits of the science of materials and their uses. In F1, the main problem concerning exhaust systems…
Wheel bearings
New wheel bearings are needed every once in a while, ensuring wheels can turn effectively and you can drive your vehicle safely. Over time, bearings can rust and you might notice issues with wheels or steering. Look into the bearings first – this is a common issue and one that can be easily resolved.
Winter car tyres
In cold, harsh weather conditions, winter car tyres can be fitted to a vehicle for additional safety. These can be used for driving on snow and ice with greater traction, thanks to the tread that’s used. On winter tyres, the tread has larger gaps than is found on normal tyres, which helps to compact snow and give more grip for the driver.