INSIGHT
Brake expectations
Formula One’s 2009 season could see UK technology on the starting grid helping
teams make use of energy recovery systems to boost acceleration. Jon Excell reports
IT’S OFTEN HARD to argue with the
notion that F1 has become little more
than a dull procession of millionaire-
propelled advertising hoardings whizzing
round a track at high speed.
30
FutuRe
of automotive technology
This is why, in what will certainly
rank as one of his more sensible decisions,
Max Mosley — boss of the sport’s ruling
body the FIA — last year announced a raft
of measures aimed at turning the sport
into a proving ground for new hybrid
technology, while simultaneously boost-
ing its environmental reputation and rein-
jecting a bit of excitement into racing.
The main focus of this technical push
is the development of kinetic energy
recovery systems (KERS). Expected to
make their first appearance on some of
the vehicles racing in the 2009 season,
these devices will store the energy that is
otherwise wasted when a vehicle brakes
and use it to boost acceleration coming
out of corners and overtaking.
Intriguingly, in contrast to the freeze
on engine design and other areas of F1
The flywheelbased
kinetic
energy recovery
system, facing
page, is designed
to help
motorsport’s
environmental
reputation by
using energy that
would otherwise
be wasted
development, the FIA has decreed that
teams are free to use any system they
like providing that no more than 400
kilojoules/lap is recovered, and energy
is only captured or released at a maxi-
mum rate of 60kW. F1 chiefs last week
announced they are to discuss raising
the cars’ 605kg weight limit to
accommodate the new devices.
With numerous mechanical and
electrical systems now enthusiastically
vying for a spot on next season’s
starting grid, Mosley’s effort to stimu-
late new automotive developments has
apparently worked. And one of the
most promising candidates is a fully
mechanical, flywheel-based system
jointly developed by a trio of UK
automotive specialists — Torotrak,
Xtrac and Flybrid Systems.
The 25kg system, which has already
been licensed to two unspecified teams,
is made up of a flywheel, a control sys-
tem and an ancillary transmission, or
variator, that provides a continuously
variable connection between the fly-
wheel and the vehicle driveline.
The device, which on an F1 car
would be positioned directly above the
trans-axle behind the driver, stores
energy when the vehicle is slowing
down by spinning the flywheel up to
speed. This energy is then released
when the vehicle speeds up again by
slowing the flywheel down. The energy
is received from the driveline, and
released back into it through the
variator.
Adrian Moore, technical director of
Xtrac, explained how the variator —
based on technology licensed from
Torotrak — achieves the complex feat
of matching the flywheel speed to the
vehicle speed.
‘The flywheel has a speed range of
30,000–60,000 rpm and the vehicle goes
relatively slowly in terms of rpm and
has a speed range of 62–124mph
(100–200kph),’ he said. ‘You’ve got to
match those speeds with some sort of
the EnGIneeR 21 APRIL–4 MAY 2008
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