Marussia F1 team showcases technology used in Formula 1
We go behind the scenes to see 3D printers, ERP systems and a 60 Teraflop Computation Fluid Dynamics Cluster in action at the team's site in Banbury.
Cleanliness is extremely important in Formula 1. A spec of dust in hydraulic fluid can cause a catastrophic part failure, for example.
The team seals off the hydraulics department to help keep it dust free.
The walls, tiles and ceilings are cleaned regularly. There are numerous extraction fans and a special washer is used to clean parts.
Currently, Marussia is using 40 Teraflops
Testing is pivotal and can give teams the edge on race day. Marussia F1 has a Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Cluster with a capacity of 60 Teraflops on site, but is only using 40 Teraflops so it can use part of its budget to test in wind tunnel.
The CFD provides virtual simulations, but is typically used to test the front of the car as it becomes difficult to replicate the dirty air, which will flow over the rear wing. Data is collected from the CFD and combined with information from the wind tunnel and track testing to measure performance and make changes.
Such computation power is typically used by military, aerospace and film studios, such as Disney. The room is water cooled and draws so much power, it requires a separate generator.
Data from the wind tunnel is used to make aerodynamic modifications
The engineers build a 50 per cent scale model for use in the wind tunnel. It is important there are no errors on this model because any mistakes will be doubled when the real car is made.
This is last year's model and is used by the pit crew to practice pit stops on a daily basis during off-season.
Countless man hours go into the preparation of the final car before it even hits the track, where success is ultimately determined. Race cars are typically shipped back to Banbury between races to be stripped and checked before the next race.
The next race will be the at Circuit de Catalunya in Spain, with qualifying on 12 May.
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