Introduction
Laboratory testing and analysis was introduced into Formula 1 racing in the early 1990s. At that time, it was primarily used to investigate faults and enable counter measures.
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Today, laboratory testing is also used within the manufacturing and condition monitoring processes as well as on the track to understand the real-time condition of the car and its parts so that it can run close to the performance limit without risking failure or non-compliance with regulations
PerkinElmer have a long-standing scientific partnership with Alpine F1 Team, supporting their analytical science needs. The Material Scientists of the Enstone-based team in the UK use PerkinElmer thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy/imaging for proactive monitoring, issue prevention, and performance enhancement of the team’s race cars. BP/Castrol support the team with the provision of fuel and lubricants which require rigorous analytical testing.
“We have a scientific technical partnership with Alpine F1 Team which is owned by part of the Renault Group,” says Gavin Aston. “Quality Control forms the cornerstone of our relationship, as the Team has a fundamental need to carry out materials testing and, over the years, we have seen this transition from passive to proactive analysis. Quality control of incoming materials, research & Development and race car condition monitoring are all important topics for which PerkinElmer supports Alpine F1 Team. From the 1980s, F1 really started to embrace the use of composite materials, providing significant strength and weight performance gains vs traditional metal parts. As the machine shop and 3D printing tools became more sophisticated, so too did the parts which could be constructed from the likes of carbon fibre pre-preg materials. The resultant impact of using more pre-preg in the car build is an increase in the amount of adhesive required to bond it all together, more bonding creates a need for more analytical testing using PerkinElmer’s suite of materials characterization products.”
F1 car design is constantly evolving and continues at pace in and out of the season; this is in relation to meeting regulations (sporting, technical and safety), specific track needs and staying ahead of the competition. Alpine F1 Team are at the forefront of the sport when it comes to embracing analytical science to further on-track performance, reliability, and safety.
Tim Mann, adds “The team also uses all of our thermal equipment for testing the thermal properties of the materials because, essentially, when this car is going colossal speeds around corners, there's lots of forces applied, lots of different temperatures applied, in hot and cool weather to different parts of the car.” Tim goes on, “you have a lot of different materials which are exposed to very high temperatures. For example the brakes, you need to measure and understand the thermal stability of these materials under different conditions in order to minimize the risk of component failure.”
The fuel combustion in an F1 engine can reach up to 1,250°C (~2,250 °F) and with additional heat generated by moving parts, friction, and contact with the road, the car can generate even more heat. And when each piece of the car has the ability to degrade under heat, especially extreme heat, it is vital to thoroughly test each component before sending a driver onto the track.
“The testing can be straightforward for material melting points,” explains Tim, “but our thermal analysis equipment also allows you to stretch and compress materials to see how they react under such conditions with different temperatures. Although materials on the car will heat up and potentially change form, importantly, you need them to revert back to their original form as quickly as possible because if it remains in a contracted or expanded form it has the potential to cause all sorts of problems.”
The team also use PerkinElmer technologies in the trackside mobile laboratory to perform regulatory fuel measurements, engine and gearbox condition monitoring studies and sometimes the analysis of ‘unknowns’. PerkinElmer’s Spectrum TwoTM FT-IR (infrared) system is used regularly to identify such unknown substances. “If the race engineers spot a foreign body or residue in the car, they want to quickly understand what it is and is it a result of a part failure.” says Lucy Taylor, BP’s trackside Scientist. “We also must make sure that the fuel we are using meets the strict FIA guidelines, failure to do so can result in grid and race penalties. Lucy goes on to explain, “we are usually checked at least once in a race weekend, but at random, so a bit like drugs testing in athletics. With the Clarus 590 Gas Chromatograph we are using the same method as the FIA so, when we are checked, we are seeing the same thing they are. For BP and the Renault team this provides the necessary reassurance that the fuel specifications are correct throughout the season and that they are compliant with FIA scrutineering.