Formula One vehicles repeatedly accelerate and decelerate, reaching maximum speeds of 300-370 km/h and facing maximum G forces of 4.0 G. Under driving conditions such as these, the vehicle’s wind speed (ram pressure) has a significant effect on engine power. However, due to issues involving the fitting of measurement devices onto vehicles, the prioritization of vehicle set-up work, and other factors, time has not been available for measurements to be taken, and analyses of air intake phenomena due to ram pressure during circuit driving have not been conducted.A wind simulator able to reproduce ram pressure during circuit driving was developed, enabling efficient development of intake systems using bench tests.In addition, dyno equipment with identical inertia characteristics to those of a vehicle drivetrain and a vehicle simulator system able to simulate body characteristics, throttle and accelerator work, and the conditions of different courses were added to the system. This enabled circuit driving modes to be used in bench tests, making it possible to establish appropriate intake settings for each circuit.
Article of Honda R&D Technical Review F1 Special (The third Era Activities) (95 - 100)