Since its inception, Formula 1 racing has been the bleeding edge of car technology and has continuously been a testbed for state-of-the-art automotive technologies. As such, Formula 1 race cars are highly specialized works of art that combine elite mechanical and electrical systems into a single vehicle.
Many of these advancements eventually move from the track to the highway as consumer vehicle manufacturers incorporate the technology into their designs. Let's analyze the critical electronic components that have helped shape the modern Formula 1 race car.
F1 Lighting Fixtures
Your first mental image of a Formula 1 race car likely includes organic molds of carbon fiber, a carefully engineered structure made from titanium and aluminum, massive tires, and maybe even a crown symbol on the driver's helmet. However, people often overlook one critical feature: lighting. A Formula 1 car's lights, which are scattered throughout the vehicle, have a considerable effect on driver safety and racing performance. As with all cars, the weight of those lighting fixtures also affects the car's efficiency and speed, so all F1 lighting fixtures are designed to be ultra-light and durable. Aside from communicating driver intent to surrounding racers, the humble LED plays a critical role in indicating sub-system safety to the pit crew and race marshals. For example, the lights at the top of the roll hoop indicate the status of each race car's Energy Recovery System (ERS).
Batteries and Electric Motors
With the addition of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)'s requirement that cars utilize an ERS, batteries and electric motors in Formula 1 cars became critical. In its simplest form, the ERS harvests energy during braking events and minimizes the turbo system's startup time during throttling events. To accomplish these actions, two electric motors work in tandem to maximize the car's performance and reduce fuel consumption:
1. ERS-H. The ERS-H acts as a generator during acceleration as it harvests electrical energy from the heat and energy in the turbo.
2. ERS-K. The electrical energy transfers to ERS-K, which connects to the engine's crankshaft.
During braking events, ERS-K acts as a generator to harvest energy from the drivetrain and passes its energy to ERS-H, which acts as a motor to keep the turbo spinning at high speeds to maximize usage of the upcoming exhaust.
Fuel Flow System
As of 2014, the FIA began requiring the use of Fluid Flow Meters (FFMs) in both Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship. These early FFMs were prone to aliasing issues due to low sample rates, but state-of-the-art FFMs can achieve measurement rates of 2.2KHz. FFMs also use ultrasound to measure the fluid flow, which ensures a highly accurate reading and instantaneous analysis of the vehicle's fuel performance.
Measuring ultrasonic fluid flow requires using two piezoelectric transducers. These transducers send ultrasonic pulses back and forth to each other and use time-of-flight calculations to determine the fluid flow rate. Manufacturers originally developed ultrasonic technology for use in large oil and gas pipelines, which meant that developing small-scale, high-accuracy flow sensors was a steep challenge for F1 engineers.
From LEDs to electric motors and batteries, you can incorporate F1 technology into your next build. Learn more and explore your options at Arrow.com.
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