Author Archives: Debi Roberts

About Debi Roberts

Chartered Engineer and Senior Lecturer in Automotive Engineering and Award Leader for the Automotive and Motorsport courses at Staffordshire University. Extremely passionate about cars and aircraft of all eras, especially the aircraft of former local manufacturer Boulton Paul Aircraft, classic Rovers and the Mini.

Brands Hatch – Lotus Festival Race Weekend

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The weekend of the 15th and 16th August saw the 9th Lotus Festival take place, being held for the 6th time at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. There has been motor racing at Brands since 1926, when it was first used for grass track bike racing.

Gareth Downing in the Lotus Evora GTE

Staffordshire University were there as part of their GT Cup commitments, staff and students working in partnership with the National Motorsport Academy and drivers Kevin Riley and Gareth Downing in the Lotus Evora GTE and also students working in a long time collaboration with Slidesports and team owner Mark Jenkins – assisting in the running of the Pallex Motorsports Porsche 997 GT3 Cup.

Staffordshire University students working with Slidesports to run the Pallex Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car.

The weekend had three sessions instead of the usual six, the result of a last minute calendar change, with a race on both the Saturday and Sunday. In the Saturday qualifying, Gareth went out towards the end of the session to claim fourth fastest time and pole in the GTC class. Talking to the GT Cup media afterwards, Gareth said;

“It was pleasing. The circuit suits the Lotus as there are no long straights so we are not sacrificing anything to the Ferraris. It’s all about cornering, handling and carrying the speed. We’ve made subtle changes to the car and it’s working.”

The Pallex Motorsports Porsche of James Greenaway qualified fifth overall and first in the GTB class.

Staffordshire University students working over the weekend

In the first race, the black and gold Lotus got off to a slow start, later shown to be due to mechanical issues and Downing dropped through the pack, managing to pick up third place in the GTC class and sixth overall. Greenaway took first place in the GTB class, and second overall.

Mandatory pit stop in the Sunday race.

Time taken on Saturday to chase and resolve the technical issues seemed to pay off for the Lotus of Downing and Riley as it was running well before the Sunday morning pit stop race. Downing found himself second after Paul Bailey’s Aston Martin Vantage and Phil Burgan’s Audi R8 collided, the Safety Car had to be dispatched bunching the field together, mandatory pit stops rearranged the field and a second Safety Car on lap nineteen. This unfortunately disadvantaged Downing and he managed to bring the car home third in class for the second time in the weekend.

Weekend team photograph

The next GT Cup rounds are at Donington Park on the 19th and 20th September and weekend highlights will be shown on Motors TV.

 

F1 Radio Restrictions – Discussion

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Came across this article the other day, in it Mark Hughes, Grand Prix editor for Motorsport Magazine talks about the mid-season rule change that is coming to Formula One from Spa onwards. We’re in for a month long break between races with the Belgian Grand Prix occurring on the 23rd August.

So what change is actually occurring? Well from the Belgian race weekend, there can be no radio communication to the driver about clutch settings once he has left the garage on the way to the grid – that’s it, that’s all. The driver’s engineer can no longer advise on the clutch bite point based on any dummy launch that has taken place – it becomes the job of the driver to work this out.

Radio and Data from the pitwall and beyond influences the race strategy.

Radio and Data from the pitwall and beyond influences the race strategy.

Okay, as Mark Hughes says himself, it’s a start – it’s something that should introduce some variation in the quality of individual starts and hopefully increase the spread of possible outcomes – but is it enough? Should we work on making sure drivers are the ones in control of their races, not engineers? Will this make our racing less predictable? Will it bring back the excitement that is sometimes lacking in many of the races?

As an engineer, our job is to control as many aspects of the race situation as we can, we’re seeking consistency, the best outcome possible each time… essentially, perfection. Leaving anything we can control to chance, it’s not usually in our nature. The driver behind the wheel is one of the biggest variables we have – and anything we can do to control that variable – well, it’s one less thing we need to worry about…

This chase for perfection often takes away the outside spectacle – something we can forget when in the bubble of competition. So, what is the answer? Do we ban all but emergency communication via pit radio, what data do we restrict? Where do we draw the line?

Mark Hughes proposes a ‘radical idea’, letting the drivers take control of race strategies;

“Some would be better at it than others. Which would give engineers nightmares – because the theoretical optimised outcome could be so easily thrown away. Perfect.”

It’s one way to introduce an extra dimension, and possibly, more excitement to Formula One – though, it’s not the only possible method – it’s definitely worthy of thought and discussion.

 

F1 Driver Jules Bianchi dies

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Today the Motorsport world awoke to the news that Formula One driver, Jules Bianchi had passed away during the night following his serious accident at the Suzuka circuit, during the Japanese Grand Prix on the 5th October 2014. He was just 25 years old.

   

He had remained in a coma since suffering severe head injuries when his Marussia F1 car (the team now known as Manor F1)  struck a recovery vehicle during the rain-hit race. He suffered a diffuse axonal injury as a result of his helmet becoming lodged underneath the tractor crane when his car left the track and slid underneath it. This type of injury is caused by a severe blow to the head, with damage caused as the brain moves within the skull. It is a serious injury which very often has fatal or life changing consequences – as seen in Bianchi’s case.

Jules is the first active F1 driver to have been killed due to injuries suffered during a race since Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger both passed away in tragic circumstances during the weekend of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, 21 years ago. Maria de Villota died in October 2013, 14 months after life changing injuries caused by crashing while involved in straight-line testing for Marussia. Three more drivers, John Dawson-Damer, Friedrich “Fritz” Glatz and Denis Welch, have been killed while driving historic Formula One cars during this time.

Coming from a racing family, Jules was the second member of his family to have competed in Formula One, his great-Uncle Lucien having started 17 Grand Prix races, with his best result a third in the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix – however they would never have had a chance to swop stories – tragically Lucien was killed when his Alfa Romeo T33 crashed during Le Mans testing the year after his Monaco success.

While each of us has our own memories of Jules Bianchi, it is Tony DiZinno, NBC Sports Motorsports Talk reporter who sums the wider sense of loss up perfectly in his article;

“Death in racing is always a hard thing to swallow, no matter the driver or individual involved, no matter the age.

Yet it’s when drivers are taken before they have the opportunity to reach the zenith of their potential that the hurt cuts deeper.”

“Motorsport is Dangerous” – whether we work in the industry, or are just an interested spectator, we can’t fail to see the signs that repeat this incessantly; around the circuit, on websites, programmes, tickets… The list of locations is endless. Perhaps we tell ourselves that it’s no longer as dangerous as it once was, the death filled years of the past (1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s) are long gone but whatever we say, tragic accidents can and do still occur. 

We owe it to the list of 50 or so drivers killed during F1 weekends or behind the wheel of F1 cars, and to the many, many more killed in other forms of automotive racing, to do all we can to keep our drivers, team members, officials, volunteers and spectators as safe as we possibly can. Perhaps then, we can stop adding to a list of names, the drivers who have never been able to show us what they can truely achieve on the track. Today we mourn the lost of one more bright star of Motorsport – all of those involved in Motorsport hold his family and friends in their thoughts at this sad time. 

Tyre Contact Patches in CFD

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Interesting article by TotalSim on the modelling of loaded tyres in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.

It’s important to bear in mind that the round tyre we think of as being attached to the four corners of our vehicle (or the front and rear of our motorbike) is anything but round in reality.

To quote Jan Prins, technical specialist at Jaguar Land Rover (as he is quoted by Blundell and Harty, 2015);

“When people say that tyres are round and black, I tell them they have the black bit right. Mostly”

Tyre deformation occurs under any form of load – perhaps the most basic example to consider is a vehicle sitting stationary on a flat patch of tarmac – even then the tyre is not perfectly round. It forms a contact patch with the road as it deforms at the base of the tyre.

Clearly, the situation becomes more complicated as additional forces are placed upon the vehicle during a dynamic, moving situation. This coming before we even consider whether the tyre itself is inflated to the correct pressure.

Sounds more like we’re looking at the vehicle dynamics rather than the aerodynamics so far, right?! You might think so – but the shape of the tyre, the movement of the vehicle under load and the dynamics of the vehicle has a huge impact on the aerodynamics – just as the mass of the vehicle, engine specification and placement do. All these various aspects of the vehicle are linked and connected.

So check out their article and consider how that might effect the simulation results.

Reference: Blundell, M and Harty, D (2015); The Multibody Systems Approach to Vehicle Dynamics: Second Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.

 

Graduation 2015

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Last week, on the gloriously sunny afternoon of Tuesday 7th July 2015, the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Sciences held their Engineering and Sciences Graduation Ceremony – the highlight of the year, a chance to celebrate the hard work of our Automotive and Motorsport students.

It’s not just a special day for the students and staff though, this is a key chance for family, who have been supporting their graduate during the last few years to really see their family member shine.

BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology graduate Jenny Broom attended with her parents and sisters, her parents talking about the joy in seeing their daughter pursue her dreams.

Students Chris, Jenny and James at Graduation 2015.

Students Chris, Jenny and James at Graduation.

James Bruce, another BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology graduate has been working at McLaren since finishing his course, so it was great for him to catch up with his former classmates for the day.

Automotive Technology graduates, Frazer, Tim, Jack and Owen. Photo taken by Amelia May Lancaster.

Automotive Technology graduates, Frazer, Tim, Jack and Owen. Photo taken by Amelia May Lancaster.

It’s not just about our Motorsport graduates though, shown above are some of our BSc(Hons) Automotive Technology graduates, Frazer Killops, Tim Lancaster, Jack Ellis and Owen Morgan. The picture is taken by Tim’s wife Amelia, who is also graduating from her own course this year.

As well as the excellent work put in by our graduates, graduation is also the time to celebrate prize winners, BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology graduate, Christopher Harpham was awarded the IMechE Institution Project Prize for his final project looking at ‘The Aerodynamic Effects of Oversteer on Performance Vehicles’, He was presented with a certificate from the Dean of the Faculty, Hastings McKenzie and Motorsport Award Leader, Debi Roberts.

Chris Harpham receiving his award from Professor Hastings McKenzie and Debi Roberts.

Chris Harpham receiving his award from Professor Hastings McKenzie and Debi Roberts.

Award Leader for the Automotive and Motorsport courses, Debi Roberts, said “Graduation is a very special time for the graduates and their families, but it’s also a lovely, as a lecturer and tutor, to see the end result – the change in those students that comes after three or four years of hard work on their part. To celebrate with them and say ‘look, you achieved all that’ and then keeping in touch to see where their career takes them.”

National Motorsport Week

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It’s National Motorsport Week this week (27 June – 5 July 2015) – this is a celebration of the UK Motorsport Industry. It encompasses a busy week for the UK Motorsport scene, the Goodwood Festival of Speed starting the week, the first Formula E race in London and finishing with the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend.

However, it’s not just about those high profile events, National Motorsport Week is about initiatives and activities to promote UK Motorsport. This can range from novice taster events, to factory visits and open days. It’s about promoting the industry, inspiring the excitement to new audiences – this brings more interest, more spectators, more competitors, more officials and marshals – and as a result more jobs and a huge benefit to the UK economy.

Here’s some UK Motorsport Industry facts provided by the National Motorsport Week team to show what a big deal this is;

  • The 750 or so motor clubs registered with the MSA have an estimated national membership of a staggering 200,000, with more than 32,000 MSA Competition Licence holders in the UK.
  • Britain has produced more F1 World Champions than any other nation – 10 title winners; Brazil and Finland are up next with 3 each.
  • More British drivers (32) have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans than those representing any other nation, including hosts France (27).
  • Seven out of the 10 current F1 teams are based in the UK
  • Over 4,300 UK companies are involved in the high-technology business world of Motorsport, and performance engineering, with £9 billion of combined annual turnover, of which £3 billion is exported.
  • Motorsport in the UK supports nearly 41,000 full and part time jobs, of which some 25,000 are qualified engineers.
  • Motorsport is a genuine UK success story and something this country should be very proud of.

So if you are looking to get involved in Motorsport – what is the best way?

Volunteering?

All Motorsport events need volunteers to help run them both safely and effectively. Getting involved in marshalling, scrutineering, timekeeping or rescue will get you out there and involved – volunteers are welcome at any are, although there may be restrictions on the duties you can do. The best place to start is the Volunteers in Motorsport website.

Driving?

The really good news for those getting involved in competitive motorsport is the range of different disciplines to pick from. This means there is something for every person. From arrive and drive karting championships and track days to formal competition, there are plenty of chances to find something that suits you.

Working?

Motorsport has wide ranging career choices, and it’s a worthwhile and rewarding industry. However, it can involve working long hours, weekends and being away from home…. Not to mention being exposed to the elements…. So if you’re still interested… What do you need? 

Again this depends on the path you wish to take – Engineers will want to be looking at English, Maths and Sciences – moving on to these at school or college and then maybe looking at these or more vocational qualifications before considering University and one of the many Motorsport, Automotive or Engineering courses out there.

But Motorsport is not just about Engineering: there are so many supporting business roles – sales, marketing, accounting, project management. You need to think about what you enjoy and where you want to be in the future; office role or more practical?

It’s great to gain experience, work on your own vehicle, help out a local team with basic duties, volunteer as a marshal to get experience and meet others but most importantly, learn about the industry, and look at the skills you are gaining and how they might be transferable too.

Watching?

Watching on television is one thing, but nothing beats the experience of seeing motorsport live, the smell, sights and sounds are spectacular! There are over 4,500 events taking place every year, all over the country, so you are bound to find something of interest near you. It’s well worth checking out GoMotorsport for events.

There’s a way for everyone to get involved so however you want to do so, get out there and get involved in Motorsport in your area.

GradEX 2015

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The Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Sciences, alongside the Faculty of Arts and Creative Technologies, recently held their Annual Graduate Exhibition of student work – GradEX 2015. A high proportion of our Automotive and Motorsport final year students entered – in the Aeronautical and Automotive category.

The event is well attended by industry and it is from industry that the judging panel join us. They view the students work, and speak to the students before retiring to make a decision on the prizes in their category.

With a mix of Automotive, Motorsport, Aeronautical and Mechanical students in this year’s group – the end result was a tough decision for the judges. Two students were not placed but given a special mention – our own Christopher Harpham (BSc(Hons) Motorsport Technology) for his excellent presentation and communication skills and BSc(Hons) Aeronautical Technology student David Reeves who was passionate about the commercial viability of his project.

Third place went to BSc(Hons) Aeronautical Technology student William Kwarteng-Ferradas for his project ‘Investigation of Pre-Spin in Aircraft Landing Gear Wheels’.

Second place went to Frazer Killops, BSc(Hons) Automotive Technology student for his project ‘Feasibility of a V4 Engine with Cylinder Deactivation’.

First Place in the category went to BEng(Hons) Mechanical Engineering student Jorge Morais and his project ‘Design and Development of a Dual Resonant Intake System’ which was undertaken as part of the development of a Formula Student vehicle.

For images of the winners receiving their certificates from the Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Sciences, Professor Hastings MacKenzie, click here.

For more information on the GradEX event, click here