Materials in Formula 1
What makes a modern Formula 1 car? The old days of cars built
with everyday materials are long gone, with Panasonic Toyota
Racing using space-age technology to optimise every part of
its TF107.
To succeed in Formula 1, every element of the car and the
team must be at the very highest level, and that applies to
the materials which make up the car. Materials are chosen
for their lightness, strength and durability, with careful
consideration given not just to performance but also to reliability.
A perfect compromise is the key, with materials ideally being
as light as possible to minimise the weight of the car, but
also being durable and strong to ensure all parts perform
to the limit without failure.
The technology of materials in Formula 1 has advanced at
a fierce pace over the last decade, with specialist technicians
required to truly design and manufacture a competitive Formula
1 car. Progress has been such that the sport’s rules
have been amended to restrict the use of certain alloys in
order to keep costs at an acceptable level.
But even given the rule restrictions, there is plenty of
work to do for those at Panasonic Toyota Racing who are living
in a material world. With over 100 different alloys available
at the team’s factory in Cologne, Germany, the materials
store is full of high-tech building blocks.
Of course, quality control is vital to ensure everything
works as planned and the team demands high standards from
every component, as Senior General Manager Engine Luca Marmorini
explains: “We are using more than 100 different alloys,
typically aluminium, titanium, copper, cobalt, tungsten are
used. There is a standard, that is the aerospace standard
but a lot of materials are developed with some suppliers and
we can develop our own standards. Typically, if you have to
mention a standard, it is aerospace standard.”
The materials store has 360 square metres of space but stock
levels are continually monitored and adjusted according to
the Toyota Way principal of Just In Time, which means supply
is closely linked to demand to eliminate excess stock.
Of course, with the variety of materials used by Panasonic
Toyota Racing, the materials store is more than your traditional
store room. Some of the materials require special storage,
for example carbon fibres must be stored at -20°C.
Carbon fibre first appeared in Formula 1 in the 1980s and
soon became the key to a successful car due to its lightness
combined with great strength, as well as new possibilities
to build different shaped components than previously possible.
Carbon fibre has become so widespread in Formula 1 now that
around 75% of a car is built from that material, including
the safety cell which surrounds the driver.
The fabrication department is where the materials are transformed
from basic elements to high-tech components for a Formula
1 car. Luca adds: “In the fabrication department, some
very experienced, trained technicians are able to weld very
difficult parts like the exhaust, and also apply some welding
panels on a casted component.
“Together with this we have a lot of composite parts
in the car and for this we are using carbon fibre compounds.”
While new materials have been developed and added over the
past few years, some have fallen out of use. For example,
it is hard to imagine now that a wooden board was ever an
essential component of a Formula 1 car, but when the ‘plank’
on the floor of the car was first introduced in 1994, to enforce
a minimum ride height, wood was the chosen material.
The primary purpose of the ‘plank’ is to show
when a car has run too low, which can be seen by wearing on
the ‘plank’ itself. Wood was a good initial choice
but the materials soon became more advanced says Luca: “In
the past the ‘plank’ under the car was made of
wood, now it is made from a composite material that is very
light. The ‘plank’ of the car touches the ground
so it has to be made from something that can be deformed.”
Such major changes in materials are unusual in modern Formula
1 but gradual changes are regularly implemented as the team
pursues its kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement. “We
are not changing materials a lot, but we are developing them
during the season. It is a continuous evolution, we are constantly
developing materials to improve performance of future parts,”
adds Luca.
Formula 1 may now be focused on an evolution of materials,
but a revolution has taken place in material usage since the
first World Championship Formula 1 race in 1950.
As car design has advanced at pace, so too have the materials
used to construct them – to the point now that a modern
team needs a dedicated team of staff focused solely on material
technology.
“The approach has completely changed,” Luca says.
“Fifty years ago no Formula 1 team had its own materials
department but now we have a very advanced materials department
and we can perform analysis in our own buildings. In the past
every Formula 1 team relied on external labs to do mechanical
calculations of material consistency. Now everything is done
in house - you have to do it in house to have true quality
standards.”
And high standards are what Panasonic Toyota Racing is dedicated
to achieving, not only in materials but in every aspect of
the team.
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