Image courtesy of McLaren Honda.
Today, for the first time in 2015, F1 cars took to a circuit to be driven in anger around Jerez. Well, some of the cars. Some didn’t make it to Jerez (Lotus and Force India), and some didn’t make it around Jerez often (McLaren). One might think with some teams choosing to miss the test (Force India) and others doing so few laps, that preseason testing is not important. Maybe it’s nothing more than the first time to debut new liveries and new business partnerships. Maybe it’s nothing more than the first time to debut new drivers in new places surrounded by new faces. Maybe it’s nothing more than the first time to run on Pirelli’s new tire compounds. Maybe it’s nothing more than the first time to run all those little aero bits that someone spent weeks deliberating on dimensions down to the millimeter, and likely well past even that. On second thought, that last one seems important.
Much focus is dedicated in F1 to the actual parts that get fitted to the car. The front wing, for example, is the first element of the car to hit the air, so it sets the tone for the entire aerodynamic philosophy of the car. Some argue it is the most important aerodynamic region of the car (although some might argue the diffuser is of, at least, equal importance). Technical experts dedicate endless time analyzing the shapes of the front wing main plane, the endplates, the cascade elements, and how the wing generates vortices. They don’t dedicate much time in what it takes to develop a front wing.
And they should. In the context of development times for a major front wing element, I’ve heard some large numbers. Shockingly large numbers. Except, when you think about all the necessary steps to take a front wing design from concept to the track, it shouldn’t be shocking at all. In fact, it should be shocking the F1 teams are able to move so quickly. Let’s breakdown the process, or I should say how I imagine the process, or better yet, how I would do it.
Concept
If you’re Adrian Newey, a cocktail napkin would be sufficient for doodling a wing concept. The concept is the very first step, but it’s just an idea, perhaps a moment of inspiration – a light bulb moment. There’s no data to validate the concept. At this stage, it’s just a rough shape with an intended performance goal.
Design and Simulation
Now we have to see how good that napkin doodle really is. The concept will be translated into a 3D computer model. CAD (computer-aided drawing) is a bit of an archaic term these days, as modern design tools allow the designer to create a 3D model that includes all the material properties (and many other properties) embedded in the model. There are many types of modeling programs, and I suspect different teams use different ones (however I suspect the CAM, computer-aided manufacturing, tool CATIA is common). Nevertheless, the first step is to create a model of the concept.
Once the model has enough physical properties, the model will be inserted into some level of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) modeling to describe the aerodynamic properties of the design concept. Let’s assume the concept produces the desired aerodynamic effect. We’re only a few days into the process. Not too bad right?
Coordination
And here’s where things slow down. We have a validated design concept. But, as this is the front wing, it affects the aerodynamics of the rest of the car. This means we need to involve the people designing the sidepods, the rear wing, the diffuser, turning vanes, and even the engine people because the new front wing concept might affect the air intake and therefore the cooling of the engine. These people all have concepts for changes as well. Their changes might depend on the old front wing. This new front wing concept, while potentially better as a front wing, might cause other elements to function incorrectly. Things get complicated. Not surprisingly, the process gets complicated as well. I’d like to say there’s a linear path forward, but it’s just not realistic. Let’s assume that new front wing concept gets approval from all the other stakeholders.
Until now, this new front wing concept likely has no physical representation. It’s just a napkin doodle that became a computer model. However, as everyone agrees the concept is good (we hope they really agree), the new front wing will begin it’s journey to becoming a real, physical, front wing that can be fitted to the car. Part two will follow the rest of the process that sees our concept finally reach the race track and how what happens at Jerez affects that process.
