Jump to content
The mkiv Supra Owners Club

F1 engine revs


davej705

Recommended Posts

No turbos allowed, displacement limited so to achieve more power you need more bangs per time unit, hence higher revs.

Very lightweight pistons and rods, iirc. Its all about mass changing direction quickly.

 

What do they make their pistons etc out of.that must be some huge stresses in these engines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pistons are alloy, rods are Ti, cranks are a work of art, usually with bolt on heavy metal counterweighting. The secret is more in keeping control of the valves than anything else. Air valve actuation, instead of springs, VERY thin stems, and state of the art cam profiles just about keep things in check, although the 18,000 max RPM rule has allowed some respite from near 20,000 a bit back. Race Engine Technology has just published the first and only, in depth, no holds barred article, with photos, of a current F1 engine, the Toyota unit. Fascinating reading. It's available by mail order, either as one off, or if you are into race engines, as a monthly subscription.

 

http://www.highpowermedia.com/mall/productpage.cfm/RET/2050/352560

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The tolerances are so small that the pistons in an F1 engine are physically seized in the cylinder when the engine is cold. The oil and the coolant needs to be pumped through the engine to get it up to temp before it can be started. Exotic materials, fine tolerances and amazing design/engineering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The pistons will still melt if they get to melting point! And weaken below this temp , so heat extraction is very important , higher revs mean more explosive combustion events per second , more total heat .

So oil and water systems designed to extract it - I think 100 degree max oil temp despite 18000 rpm !!

Water flow must be huge !!

They must be close to almost constant combustion like an aircraft engine, but with alloy pistons that melt circa 650 degrees,some challenge!!

At least we can use water meth!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine the speeds they go help massively with the cooling,when they have to sit begin the safety car (which isn't slow) they get hot.they dont have fans do they? They just rely on airflow for cooling?

 

The pistons will still melt if they get to melting point! And weaken below this temp , so heat extraction is very important , higher revs mean more explosive combustion events per second , more total heat .

So oil and water systems designed to extract it - I think 100 degree max oil temp despite 18000 rpm !!

Water flow must be huge !!

They must be close to almost constant combustion like an aircraft engine, but with alloy pistons that melt circa 650 degrees,some challenge!!

At least we can use water meth!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine the speeds they go help massively with the cooling,when they have to sit begin the safety car (which isn't slow) they get hot.they dont have fans do they? They just rely on airflow for cooling?

 

Correct, there's no fans on them. But, when behind the safety cars, they're not pulling 18,000rpm. So, there's heat to dissipate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Each 100 bhp = 73 Kw , 73000 watts of heat !! most goes out the exhaust but its the bit left over in the engine that causes the problem , the heat is generated at 2 points max torque and max rpm ,these overlap and integrate to give the total heat , it is the main destroyer of engines (coupled with det) .

Rpm is the main factor , thats why Autobahn use cars have oil coolers ,they are at elevated rpms for long periods ,and the water cooling system is overloaded .

F1 cars make great use of ducts for airflow over heat exchangers and increase the efficiency of them .

large stresses can be dealt with by material selection but heat kills anything even the finest materials .

keeping balance and constant temps in the engine is critical due expansion rates ,out of balance is just as bad as overheating ,hence the warming of engines before they get mullered on the track

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. You might also be interested in our Guidelines, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.