How a Formula 1 Race Car Works

i'm jake o'neill creator of animagraphs and this is how a formula one race car works [Music] let's start with aerodynamics which is how the car interacts with and moves through the air around it it's best to focus on overall theory here to avoid getting lost in the absolute maze of individual aerodynamic features the front wing curves upward forcing air to move around it in such a way that a high pressure area forms above the wing with lower pressure beneath this pressure difference contributes to a kind of suction force called downforce that pushes or sticks the car to the track where the wing ends and these different pressure zones meet the air crashes into itself creating a spiraling vortex vortices cause drag which tugs at the car slowing it down a cap on the wingtip interrupts vortex formation for a less intense effect [Music] in contrast the pointed curved in surfaces on the inside edge of the wing intentionally shape and direct a vortex around the floor of the car sealing in the clean air that passes beneath so while vortices do cause drag they're also a useful tool to separate and seal in different areas of airflow as a matter of tradition f1 cars don't have fenders and the open spinning wheel and tire combination is a major source of dirty turbulent air turbulent air is unpredictable and not very useful for aerodynamic goals like generating downforce directly behind the tires the barge boards condition or clean up some of this airflow while also pushing lots of dirty air away from the body [Music] the narrow gap between the car floor and the track turns the entire floor into a giant downforce generator as air squeezes thins and rushes beneath the car at a different rate and pressure than overhead air the floor has a forward tilt or rake that creates very low pressure at its narrowest point but allows air to more smoothly rejoin ambient air pressure as it flows out the back a diffuser at the rear amplifies this goal with its more pronounced upward curvature the diffuser has vertical veins to control and direct the massive vortices that form behind the car as air pours out from underneath [Music] clean air is directed into the side pods for cooling purposes this stream passes through the car and out the back beneath the rear wing the smoothly contoured body guides air streams gracefully around bodywork for predictable handling under extreme conditions the upward curved rear wing which is another critical downforce generator has notched end caps with gaps and louvers to allow some air to combine early altering and shaping rear wing vortex characteristics it's also where in wet conditions the noticeable misty wingtip vortices sometimes appear in plain sight hydraulic actuator tilts a section of the rear wing when the drag reduction system or drs is engaged generating less rear downforce but allowing higher overall speed the massive area of dirty air behind the car can make it difficult for other cars to approach and overtake it's worth noting here that in coming years the aerodynamic design regulations for f1 cars are set for major changes to encourage closer racing and overtaking the airflow pattern might look more like this than the current wide dirty wake now let's go underneath this exterior bodywork starting with the core support structure a carbon fiber shell called a monocoque the engine heads and block and the gearbox enclosure form the main structural support for all other systems there's no additional frame or chassis underneath [Music] suspension both front and back suspension setups share similar components upper and lower wishbone arms with a push or pull rod the wishbones are rigid structural supports with limited vertical travel at the front where heat isn't an issue wishbones are directly attached to the monocoque and have simple flexure joints designed to bend under load at the rear where engine heat can be intense spherical bearings are used the push or pull rod is where the action happens our model has push rods in the front and pull rods in the back which simplified just indicates how the system is mounted to push or pull connected suspension parts if parts can be mounted down low for a lower center of gravity all the better the pull rod connects to a rocker and damper which we call shock absorbers in normal cars but instead of large coiled springs f1 suspension uses a small metal rod called a torsion bar that twists under load one side of the torsion bar moves with the outer cylindrical shaft while the other side is stationary [Music] both independent suspension sides are linked to a central roll bar that twists to limit body roll [Music] heave is the vertical position of the car which is critically important for proper aerodynamics the heave spring and damper cleverly come into play when both sides move up or down together for example during acceleration or braking but are mostly inactive for other movements [Music] the heave spring in our model is a stack of flexible cone-shaped washers that compress together under load washers can be added or subtracted for fine adjustments [Music] the front suspension handles similar tasks to the rear but with different techniques the steering system is closely packaged with front suspension a track rod links each tire to a fairly standard hydraulic rack and pinion setup with the steering column extending into the cockpit the rear suspension has a track rod as well for vertical tire angle adjustment [Music] all wheels must be attached to the car with wheel tethers these are strong cables that keep wheels connected to the car in the event of an accident they're required to pass through more than one suspension element for increased safety [Music] with few exceptions most exposed suspension elements are either made from or bonded with carbon fiber for better aerodynamic forms this is another major reason suspension parts are packaged inside bodywork away from outside air wherever possible braking system a master cylinder and reservoir controls and stores hydraulic fluid for braking f1 cars have two master cylinders and accompanying reservoirs for front and rear brakes respectively the cylinders are mounted to the brake pedal on one end and a threaded brake bias screw on the other this bias screw is electronically controlled and can be adjusted on the fly as directed by the driver the screw position allows different pressure to the front or rear brakes brake lines snake through suspension elements to the brake caliper and shoe assembly intense brake heat must be precisely managed so the entire inner wheel assembly is covered by a ducted carbon fiber shroud the front wing helps direct air into the brake ducts and through the inner wheel for cooling the calipers are mounted at the lowest possible position for proper brake bleed that is ensuring troublesome air bubbles can escape hydraulic brake lines while maintaining a low center of gravity the brake discs and shoes are made from a carbon-based material the disc has thousands of small holes extending from the center outwards for maximum cooling effect [Music] the rear brakes have a similar design strategy that have become smaller in recent years with the addition of the mguk or motor generator unit kinetic the mguk is geared to the crankshaft and functions as an electrical power generator to charge an on-board battery as driven by a portion of rear braking forces [Music] a computer mounted inside the gearbox enclosure manages and balances this complex braking system the wheels are secured to the hub with a single wheel nut metal retention pins keep the nut securely in place a specially designed wheel gun pushes these pins down when removing the nut [Music] engine and associated systems f1 cars use six cylinders in a v configuration the pistons are somewhat flat and small to suit the high revving engine intricate exhaust headers feed a comparatively massive turbine at the rear of the engine which is part of a split turbocharger design that separates these normally stacked turbo components red-hot exhaust gases drive the turbine wheel which in turn spins the front mounted compressor wheel drawing in and compressing huge quantities of air all this pressure adds unwanted heat to the incoming air so one entire side pod is dedicated to the intercooler the path of incoming air looks like this the compressor draws air in through an intake duct mounted in the roll hoop above and behind the driver's head hot air leaves the compressor towards the intercooler side pod air rushes by the intercooler's tubes and fins cooling the compressor air inside [Music] the now cooled air passes through the special split ducting that feeds separate intake plenums these are chambers designed to keep air pressure balanced between cylinders [Music] intake trumpets extend into the plenums for specially tuned air delivery to each cylinder [Music] the side pod air flows by and cools the engine and other internal parts on its way out the back of the car the exhaust section of the turbo has dual waste gates corresponding to each exhaust input to vent off excess gases when needed wastegate pipes follow the main exhaust pipe out the back a high-tech heat recovery unit sits between these turbo compartments called the mguh or motor generator unit heat [Music] excess heat from turbo gases drives this unit to act as an electric generator to charge the onboard battery [Music] energy recovery system [Music] the mguh and the previously shown mguk together make up the hybrid functionality of the modern f1 car both units generate electrical charge for the battery once sufficiently charged the battery can send power back through the mguk unit which again is geared to the crankshaft in this way the mgu-k can generate an additional maximum 160 horsepower or as much as a small separate car engine [Music] cooling various additional radiators for cooling occupy the opposing side pod this includes the main engine cooling radiator an oil cooler and a battery cooler an additional bank of radiators sits in the path of a separate roll hoop air duct to cool hydraulic oil gearbox oil and the mgu-h and decay systems f1 teams may locate specific radiators in different positions than i've shown here though the general available spaces will be similar they may also use water driven intercooling for turbo air in contrast to the simpler air-to-air setup i've chosen fuel tank the fuel tank also called a fuel cell is a nearly puncture proof kevlar bladder lined with rubber it occupies an isolated compartment in the carbon fiber monocoque shell and fills all available space f1 fuel cells can hold an incredible 30 to 40 gallons of fuel which is just enough for a single race as pit stop refueling is not allowed these cars get an estimated 4 to 6 miles per gallon of fuel the tank has various internal baffles with one-way valves to tame the sloshing liquid under incredible racing forces the goal is to keep the large fuel mass centered and low and also to prevent foaming and fuel pump starvation the engine oil tank is placed between the engine and fuel cell gearbox the eight-speed gearbox seven forward plus one reverse sits behind the engine in its own aluminum cartridge the rear differential gears connect to rear axles with special tripod joints that allow spinning axles to tilt with the rear suspension movement safety systems f1 cars have robust safety systems the rear crash structure protects against rear impact side crash structures are concealed within the aerodynamic bodywork the removable front nose section handles front impact and the all-important monocoque forms a protective cocoon around the driver also attached to the monocoque a halo device which was implemented in 2018 for additional driver safety and a roll hoop the driver's helmet is kept within a specific angle from the roll hoop to the body for maximum protection in the event of a rollover [Music] cockpit f1 racing seats are crafted from molds taken from a specific driver's body the driver sits in a reclined position almost like laying semi-upright in a hammock a six-point harness keeps the driver in place the seat wraps around the driver's body wherever possible and safety structures surround the helmet area drivers wear a special brace called the hans or head and neck device to limit head movement in adverse conditions a connected strap clips to either side of the helmet and the shoulder harness straps keep the device pressed against the driver a drinks tube extends over the shoulder it's connected to a small fluid reservoir to keep drivers hydrated while racing drivers use different helmet front and rear spoiler designs to keep their helmets from lifting or moving around with sometimes dramatically shifting air pressures in recent years the visor opening has further narrowed to protect the more fragile visor area from puncture or breakage cockpit design makes efficient use of all available space such that drivers must remove the steering wheel to exit the car steering wheel this is the famed formula one steering wheel drivers mostly don't need to remove their hands from the wheel for steering so the wheel doesn't need to be round a customizable display at the center shows the current gear as the largest item along with things like lap times tire and brake temperatures average speed and so on the daunting array of knobs dials and leds gives drivers and teams fine controls that can be adjusted on the fly during a race clockwise from the upper left there's the energy recovery system dial to control the mgu h and k left and right menu navigation buttons a push-to-talk radio switch for team communication led warning lights for critical systems a row of leds across the top of the display acts as a rev counter and shift light system the launch control switch which is turned on for race starts and off when racing [Music] the brake balance dial for front and rear brake bias a pit limits button to automatically impose things like pit lane speed and acceleration restrictions an engine mapping dial to alter engine performance characteristics drs toggle button rear differential lock open or closed adjustment with separate turn entry and turn exit adjusters the drinks dispenser button more settings navigation buttons three programmable preset dials for the engine chassis or suspension and a scenario selector for things like wet weather or tire preservation presets [Music] the neutral button is for neutral and reverse gears which can't be selected with rear paddle shifters a message ok button an overtake button to instantly apply optimal settings for overtaking and finally a hydraulic settings dial to control the complex hydraulic components spread throughout the car for example in the gearbox and suspension systems [Music] paddles at the back of the steering wheel handle gear shifting up or down the middle paddles are driver customizable and both bottom paddles actuate the clutch only one clutch paddle can be used for race start once in motion the clutch isn't needed for gear shifting further down into the cockpit we see the gas pedal with contours to wrap around the driver's foot so as to keep pedals completely separate and the brake pedal on the left sensors there are sensors all over these cars for example a pilot tube at the front measures air speed the driver's custom molded earplugs have an accelerometer to track head movement there's a microphone at the rear to pick up exhaust sound [Music] precise comparison here's our average height driver model standing beside an average sized car next to our formula model [Music] it's important to note that even with the level of detail i've strived to attain here the complexity in f1 cars feels almost endless in a way that truly tested my research abilities they really are incredible racing machines you

Channel: Animagraffs

Views: 2,139,035

Keywords:

Id: V7707zEX9X4

Length: 23min 12sec (1392 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 16 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/fred_lincoln]

This was great! One little thing though... pilot tube should be pitot tube.

[u/GaryGiesel]

An excellent introductory video into how F1 cars work! That said, there are a couple of small inaccuracies; the main one is the description of the brake system. In the modern cars, the balance bar isn’t electronically controlled; generally it doesn’t even need to be adjusted at all, because the rear caliper pressure (and the resulting brake torque) is set using the car’s main hydraulic system. Generally the rear master cylinder doesn’t actually do anything unless there is a failure in this brake-by-wire system, which by regulation is designed to fail safe - when the system fails, a valve automatically moves to let the master cylinder pressure go directly to the caliper, ensuring that braking is always possible even with a system failure. The details of how this is achieved are complex and probably differ between teams, so I’ll let you imagine how such things might work. The other point is that modern cars don’t run launch control, because it’s been banned for a very long time. Also generally any adjustments to the hydraulics system wouldn’t be on a thumb rotary on the wheel; you’d use those for things like differential settings which adjust the way the car handles

[u/Jupaack]

This is in some way an incredible ELI5 about F1 cars.

I couldn't really understand much of it, or better said, "visualize" most things as I'm not into engineering, until I watched this video and everything was very clear. And kudos to u/GaryGiesel for the correction below.

Now I feel like I'm an expert in the subject.

[u/ChaoticMathematics]

Cool video

[u/42_c3_b6_67]

What a great video. I’m in awe of this model and knowing that this is a simplified video is just crazy

[u/Gaverick2503]

Amazing, a lot of effort has gone in to that.

[u/muzlu_sut]

Thanks a lot, this is amazing. One of the best videos I've ever seen. Great animations.

[u/ProgrammingSpartan]

This is amazing!