The highest class in motorsport is all about precision engineering and performance. To compete at the highest level teams go to great lengths to design competitive cars. No expense is spared to test every component and detail of the design.
An important part of the testing process happens in the wind tunnel. Here, specialized engineers recreate the conditions that can be expected during a race. Championships have been decided by a single downpour so it is essential that teams have reliable data on the car’s behavior under wet conditions. To recreate these conditions the team was applying a glycerin solution on the rolling road with a cloth by hand. This way they can predict the tire behavior under various conditions. Unfortunately the manual application greatly increased the margin of error and hindered repeatability of the tests. The main problem however was found in the duration of this process. Under current Formula 1 rules, teams can only spend a limited amount of time on testing. The more efficient each step in the design process, the better the final result will be and the higher the chances of delivering the holy grail: a championship-winning car.
AutoJet® E1850+ System with PulsaJet® Nozzles
Contacting the world’s leading authority in spray technology was a logical step towards a performant solution. Our local Spraying Systems Co. spray specialist was invited to discuss the requirements. Together we finally decided on an AutoJet® E1850+ Spraying System equipped with 2 air atomizing PulsaJet® nozzles for optimal precision.
The system can accurately spray the exact amount of glycerin that’s needed for each test. More importantly though, the system automatically logs the process and helps limit the testing time to meet FIA regulations.
Result
The newly installed AutoJet® E1850+ System can more accurately replicate the conditions as required by the rolling road wet weather test. Higher quality data plays a big role in improving the car. More importantly, the Formula 1 team saves several minutes every time the test is performed. In motorsport, where every tenth of a second counts, this is a huge saving. The time that is saved can now be spent on other tests to improve the competitiveness of the car.