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This
weekend's Canadian Grand Prix is the first time the TF108 has got to grips with
the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit. Well, in real life that may be so, but not in the
virtual world of simulation at Panasonic Toyota Racing.
Even
before a TF108 turns a wheel in anger around Montreal's Ile Notre-Dame,
Panasonic Toyota Racing engineers already have a bank of information to draw on
after simulating the car's behaviour around the 4.361km track.
At the
team's technical centre in Cologne, Germany, an array of sophisticated
simulation techniques are employed to give the drivers a head start when
practice begins in Canada, ranging from the wind tunnel, engine test benches, a
seven-poster rig and computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
For the
Canadian Grand Prix, riding the kerbs is key, and Panasonic Toyota Racing has
spent time in the build up simulating the TF108's behaviour on a seven-post rig,
specifically set up to replicate the demands of the Montreal track.
A
full-size TF108 is placed on a hydraulically-powered rig, which uses data from
previous seasons to shake and shudder the car exactly as though it was driving
over the bumps and kerbs of the Ile Notre-Dame. This provides important
information regarding suspension and damper settings, giving engineers a strong
indication of what works and what doesn't.
Chief
Engineer Race and Test Dieter Gass says: "This is very important because, unlike
other circuits, at Montreal you have the four chicanes and the more you can ride
the kerbs in the chicane, the more you can straight line them and the more time
you're going to gain. That means if you have a car that handles perfectly over
the kerbs you're going to gain a lot of speed and lap time."
That is
just one element of the standard pre-race preparation at Panasonic Toyota
Racing; the engine dynamometers, or test benches, are another. An engine test
bench allows the RVX-08 engine to be ‘driven' on its own, with no TF108 chassis
in sight.
By
pushing the engine through all the same revs and gear changes as Jarno Trulli
and Timo Glock will in Canada, an engine can complete the entire race distance
without moving a millimetre. The data from these tests allows engineers to
fine-tune engine behaviour to a particular circuit, as well as spotting any
areas to improve well before the drivers hit the track.
"Typically,
before Canada or any other race, we have in our computer the complete throttle
behaviour that can, for example, reproduce Jarno's driving style at that track
on the dyno," says Senior General Manager Engine Luca Marmorini. "In this way we
can already start to anticipate some potential problems in terms of engine
response or engine mapping that the driver and the team might find in
Canada."
These
preparations are specific to each race but simulation goes on across the board
as Panasonic Toyota Racing strives for the continuous improvement necessary to
compete at the front in Formula 1. The fruits of this work eventually make it to
the race track, but not before rigorous testing has proved their validity in
advance.
Before
every new aerodynamic part is fitted to the TF108, it has been thoroughly
analysed back in Cologne to ensure it does its job.
The
first part of this process sees virtual testing using CFD - computers which
simulate air flow over a new part, and the impact it has on the car as a whole.
If a part fails this process it is extremely unlikely to be worth pursuing, so
this simulation streamlines the development process and ensures only worthwhile
projects progress beyond the virtual drawing board.
President
John Howett says: "We live in a digital world now, we have to recognise that,
and in Formula 1 we are pushing the limits of simulation and the utilisation of
computer power to absolutely understand where performance can be found in the
future. So even though we still use track testing and wind tunnel testing,
normally the area we're looking in is predefined by computer simulation and
we're looking in a fruitful area where we can cultivate performance."
If the
CFD tests are successful, the virtual part becomes reality and faces wind tunnel
tests, where a scale model is blasted with air to recreate the effect of driving
at speed, including simulated track conditions, ride heights and many more
factors. Only then would a part be considered for use on the car
itself.
However,
no amount of simulation can ever guarantee a perfect set-up; that has to be
finalised on track, as Senior General Manager Chassis Pascal Vasselon says:
"Simulation faces natural limitations so what is essential when you use it is to
know exactly the limits. You cannot expect the simulation to tell you exactly
how stiff your suspension has to be, for example. What you can expect from the
simulation is to give you some direction. It will give you a
diagnostic."
So,
plenty of work awaits the Panasonic Toyota Racing engineers and drivers when
they arrive at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, but they can begin their weekend
safe in the knowledge that a virtual reality means they are as well prepared as
possible for the task ahead.
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