Formula 1 team - Caterham F1

[Forza]

MikeGascoyne: "today our first chassis, CT-01 passes all FIA homologation test. well done all"

[Forza]

Tom Webb (Caterham F1 Team Head of Communications)
The first Caterham F1 Team car will be unveiled on the cover of the February issue of F1 Racing magazine, out on 26th January.

Mark Smith talks 2012 chassis builds and crash testing
objavil CaterhamF1 dne 20. januar 2012 ob 16:04
Looking ahead to what's going on over the next week, the main event will be firing up the new car for the first time. Can you give us a technical overview of what's going on in the factory at the moment?

Last week we were predominately finishing off the first chassis. The chassis itself is a two part moulding, but there are lots of smaller parts that get bonded onto it. So even when the two main chassis components are out of the mould and bonded together, there's still quite a way to go in terms of finishing the whole piece – brackets for holding various bits and pieces, for example. Last week was really all about that, and finishing the chassis off to a high standard before sending it off to be painted.

CT01-#1 went into the build shop on Saturday morning and then last weekend two fairly separate things were done. Number one was the fuel cell being fitted into the car, pressure tested and capacity checked. Number two was fitting the front suspension to the car – we don't have all the parts yet, but we've fitted what we can, as well as a number of smaller items around the car.

So that's where we are. We have the engine and gearbox here, and we have fitted them up to check the basic assembly, but then we took them off until Renault and Red Bull come in next week. By fitting them up, we're able to mock up a number of other items around the car – the brake lines for example, and our suppliers can come in and sort that, so as parts come in we'll keep adding them on until fire up next week.

CT01-#2 is also nearing completion. It'll probably go into the race bays on Monday morning and then the mechanics can start working on that car. In the meantime, we can do some smaller jobs – for instance you may have seen the photo of the reflective gold material that gets fitted to the rear of the chassis to deflect heat from the engine – this is something that can be done without compromising what the guys in the composite shop are doing.

Technical Director Mark SmithNice! Tell us about the crash tests and homologation. We've passed them, but what does that actually mean?

Over a number of years, there have been significant improvements in the safety-related design of F1 cars, and incidents in the early 90s have really pushed how we collectively regard the requirements from a safety perspective. The tests since then have, quite rightly, become more demanding. We have a number of static tests where the loads are applied to the chassis while it is static, and impact tests where loads are applied dynamically. One of the key impact tests is the frontal impact test – this is where the nose is mounted to the front of the chassis, the chassis is loaded with the required weight and is then fired into a steel wall at a given speed. There's also one without the nose where a plate is mounted to the front of the chassis and fired into an array of six crush tubes. That's really to test other parts of the structure of the chassis, for example the seat back bulkhead with a fuel cell full of water. There's also a rear impact test and a side impact test, so the whole car is tested extremely thoroughly, and that's what's helping us save lives in our sport in the modern era.

In terms of the static tests, the big one is the rear roll hoop test – looking at the structure behind the driver's helmet. There's also a forward roll hoop test, which looks at the section of chassis immediately in front of the cockpit opening. There are also load tests from the side and underneath of the chassis. All the impact structures, front, rear and side, are tested with static push-off loads to ensure they remain in place in the event of an impact. Finally there's an impact test on the steering column, so everything is checked.

When these tests are completed successfully, the chassis is homologated. They are very demanding and there is a huge amount of work that goes into making sure we pass, so that's why we were very happy that they were done and dusted before Christmas. So passing the tests before Christmas is obviously positive, and that presumably means our crash test simulations were all accurate. Does that give you more confidence that the numbers the computers are generating will translate into track performance across other areas of the car's development?

Over time the various simulation tools that teams have access to have increased the level of confidence that when the assembly of the car is made, it will most likely perform as we predict. We do predict them reasonably well, but there's a very fine line between success and failure. For example, if the deceleration can't be above an average of 20G, if you are 20.1G you will fail. We are obviously trying to design structures that are as light as possible – we need to try to create something that passes the tests, but also gives us the performance we require for the car.

What happens to the chassis after the crash tests?

Well, the chassis is still a usable chassis. Obviously if it's damaged then the team can work on the composite structures, which are usually fairly repairable. If you had a disaster, then the chassis would be a write-off. But in this day and age most of the small damage is repairable.

If damage did occur during an impact test – and it didn't happen to us this time – then the repairs would have to be tested again. Once passed, all the future chassis must have the same components as the repaired and passed chassis, so that it is exactly the same spec.

Our car is being revealed in F1 Racing magazine next week... Excited?

Hopefully I'll feel the same as everyone here, as there has been a lot of hard work from everybody in the team to get to this point. I think fully-clothed, so to speak, it looks good. So we're excited and proud to see the car in its final form – fully-assembled, painted and looking ready for launch. I'm sure we'll all be proud to see the car, absolutely, but also slightly apprehensive ahead of the first test, in terms of its outright performance, to see where we are against our competitors.

That first test. It's looming...

It is! We will see.

[Forza]

First analysis: Caterham CT-01
Posted on January 25, 2012


Now entering their third year what was Team Lotus and now Caterham F1 have produced their most contemporary package yet. Also in the second year of their partner ship with Red Bull and Renault for the supply of their power train, there will be inevitable comparisons of the CT-01 to the cars from its technical partners. Indeed superficially the car bears some resemblances to the RB7, but the car is indeed the work of the technical team lead by Mike Gascoyne and Mark Smith in Hethel. Where as Red Bull supply the Gearbox\Hydraulics and Renault the Engine\KERS package.

Although the car is clearly wearing 2011 spec wings, vanes and brake ducts, its evident the car is another step forward in design terms for the team.

Three features stand out as different from the 2011 T128; the nose, the sidepods and the roll hoop. Firstly the nose is the first example we have seen of the revised 2012 nose regulations, limiting the front fo the nose to a height of just 55cm. However the remaining raised monocoque section between that and the cockpit can be 62.5, so we see the step between these two sections and this is partly softened by the ridged “V” nose. The sidepods follow the Red Bull template with slim sidepods tapering out at their base. The coke bottle shape streamlines smoothly into the gearbox fairing, there being no cooling outlet from the sidepods themselves, instead the tail funnel acts as the main outlets, while there also appear to be small outlets either side of the cockpit sides. Amidships we see the all-carbon blade type roll structure from 2011 has disappeared, replaced by a more conventional roll hoop. With part of its structure exposed in the form of the struts supporting the roll structure. Its likely this structure has some metal in its construction. The use of heavier metal in the structure, is offset by the shape being more structurally efficient and probably of equal weight compared to the all carbon blade.

The nose cone is much wider and shallower than in 2011, this being create enough mass within the deformable structure while still meeting the “V” shaped front bulkhead. A new front wing is in development, its likely this will follow the 2011 trend for an endplate-less design with a three element wing meeting the centre section in a curled profile. The raised front section of chassis means Lotus have retained their steeply include front suspension. Around the cockpit opening their appear to be cooling outlets, these aiding cooling allowing much slimmer sidepods. The bodywork aft of this area bulges outwards slightly and sweeps back smoothly around the engine to the tail funnel. In meeting the 2012 regulations the exhausts are tucked in quite low and inboard. The mandatory last 100mm of exhaust being covered by fairings formed into the engine cover. From these pcitures its hard to teel how steeply the exhaust are angled at. There fore its hard to tell if the exhaust effect the flow under the rear wing.

As the sidepods are so slim and there being no low level exhausts, there is a wide expanse of exposed floor. The diffuser sweeps outwards and there is a generous cut out around the rear wheels. The centre section of the diffuser often termed the boat tail is exposed to the airflow. Suggesting the rear impact structure is raised clear fo the floor. This is in contrast to Red Bulls preferred practice of a low rear crash structure. The lowered section probably allows airflow over the floor to pas through the starter motor hole to aid airflow passing up under the diffuser.
By using the Red Bull Carbon fibre gear case, the rear suspension is also largely taken from the Red Bull. Thus it employs pull rod operation for the springs and dampers. However the KERS installation may follow either Red Bulls Pannier style battery installation or the more typical under-fuel-tank installation.

…by scarbs

[Kenny]

Ovo dobro izgleda, neka bude brži nego prošle sezone, ali ne brži od Williamsa i bit će dobro

[Forza]

Evo i jedne usporedbe

[K1M1]

Ovo dobro izgleda, neka bude brži nego prošle sezone, ali ne brži od Williamsa i bit će dobro

Mora da se šališ. Meni je ovo jedan od najružnijih f1 auta koje sam ikad vidio. Ok, ostatak auta je još i dobar al ovaj nos... majko mila.
Ne kužim po kojoj logici je ovo aerodinamično al ajd.
Samo se nadam da ostali bolidi neće bit ovakvi...

[One and only]

Sasvim očekivan izgled nosa. I meni je pravo ružan. Impresivan je stražnji kraj u kojoj mjeri je uzak. Kad vidim da je Catheram ovo uspio, onda nije nemoguće da novi Ferrari bude onako tanak kako je prikazano u onim špekulativnim crtežima.

[Forza]

Ovdje se jako dobro vidi uzak stražnji kraj, "coke bottle" otvor, pull rod i stražna sigurnostna struktura. još uvjek se ne vidi dobro izpušne cjevi.

[F2004_the_best_ever]

Ne znam zašto vas čudi ovako uzak stražnji kraj kod Lotusa.
Za ovaj bolid možemo reći da je neka vrsta kopije RB7 bar kada je u pitanju stražnji kraj bolida, to ne treba da nas čudi jer su Lotus i Red Bull potpisali ugovor o tehničkoj suradnji još 2010, Red Bull se obvezao da će Lotusu isporučivati mjenače i hidrauliku.

[F1NAC]

[Cuky]

Ne kužim po kojoj logici je ovo aerodinamično al ajd.

zadnjih godina postalo je moda da se traži što bolji protok zraka ispod nosa bolida da bi podnica i na kraju difuzor dobivali taj zrak šzo optimalnije. Iz tog razloga su nosevi išli gore. FIA je to vidjela kao opasnost za vozače pri bočnom sudaru jer takvi nosevi mogu vrlo lako doći do vozačeve glave. Da bi se noseve spustilo ograničila se njihova visina. Nažalost ovo je najjednostavniji način da se zadrži prostor ispod nosa, a da taj isti nos zadovolji pravila o maksimalnoj visini.

[Kenny]

Ovo dobro izgleda, neka bude brži nego prošle sezone, ali ne brži od Williamsa i bit će dobro

Mora da se šališ. Meni je ovo jedan od najružnijih f1 auta koje sam ikad vidio. Ok, ostatak auta je još i dobar al ovaj nos... majko mila.
Ne kužim po kojoj logici je ovo aerodinamično al ajd.
Samo se nadam da ostali bolidi neće bit ovakvi...

Zanemario sam nos jer sam negdje pročito da će svi imat take noseve. Naravno da je nos ružan, a ostatak mi je dobar i nije onako jednostavan ko prošlih sezona

[Dero]

Baš me zanima da li FIA napravi kompjutersku simulaciju kako bi bolid trebao izgledati po novim pravilima .
Ovakva izvedba nosa, katastrofa.

[Kenny]

Baš me zanima da li FIA napravi kompjutersku simulaciju kako bi bolid trebao izgledati po novim pravilima .
Ovakva izvedba nosa, katastrofa.

Bili su i ovi bolidi na početku jako ružni, ali smo se s vremenom navikli na njih, pa ćemo tako i na ove sad

[Barry]

izgleda poput napucanog hummera.. uzas.. ali nista sto nije ocekivano.. nadam se da ce vodece momcadi to malo ljepse upakovati.. btw indy car bolidi sad ce izgledati kao pravi ljepotani naspram f1..

[Forza]

[gringo73]

Scarborough je napisao kraću analizu CT-01, izvučeno iz onog koliko se moglo vidit u tih par sličica. - http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2012/01/2 ... ham-ct-01/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Cuky]

ovako kad gledaš od sprijeda i ne izgleda tako loše

[gringo73]

Pogled s vrha nosa. Koji nagli prijelaz...

[Dani]

Kao skijaška skakaonica.

[F1NAC]

ovaj nos im moze posluzit i kao šank ... fali par bira i to je to

[pospani gad]

ovako kad gledaš od sprijeda i ne izgleda tako loše

Meni je izgled bolida također OK. Odakle god ga gledam, bilo koja perspektiva. Još ako je Mike Gascoyne napravio dobar posao, to će biti ono važno.... jedva čekam, vidit' i čuti auto Caterhama u akciji.....

[Cuky]

danas (tj. jučer u četvrtak) je bolid i službeno predstavljen, pa evo HQ slika

[luka_kimi]

Ne znam, meni izgleda čisto OK. I dalje ne shvaćam u čemu je poanta izrade nosa na način kojim je izrađen, ali da mi smeta, ne smeta.

[Kenny]

Ne znam, meni izgleda čisto OK. I dalje ne shvaćam u čemu je poanta izrade nosa na način kojim je izrađen, ali da mi smeta, ne smeta.

Nova pravila, jer su sad nosevi navodno previsoki ako dođe do bočnog sudara, da nebi udarili u vozača