TECHNOLOGY – SIMULATION
Connecting the dots
How to turn racecar simulation into a useable tool
and customers in and out of the ChassisSim community. What has become apparent is that, while they are convinced of the worth of racecar simulation, they are not sure what it actually is and how to connect the dots so it becomes a useable tool. This is what I will be addressing here. This article will be based
O
around transient simulation, something for which I make no apologies. I have made clear in the past my thoughts on the benefits of transient simulation vs pseudo-static simulation but,
ver the last month I’ve been on the road delivering seminars and training colleagues
BY DANNY NOWLAN
even for those using the latter, what we are about to discuss is applicable to you, so read on. First, let me re-iterate that
racecar simulation is the ultimate motorsport calculator – transient simulation in particular. It is a fantastic tool to understand what is going on with the racecar and play 'what ifs?'. Let’s illustrate this with a typical ChassisSim overlay, as shown in figure 1. But let’s first take one
moment to review what we are seeing. We can see immediately that we have a representative environment that entails speed, steering and throttle and dampers, including bumps. This
is so important because race teams at the upper end of the grid spend fortunes on seven- post rig replays for very good reason. But this is exactly what you are seeing in figure 1. This is only something I have really started to appreciate in the last couple of years, but it makes your time on the rig so incredibly valuable because it allows you to be much better prepared. If you are serious about going quickly, the information you see in figure 1 is absolutely vital. Also, if you do your modelling right, with this basis the lap times and the trends pop out as a consequence. This is what you have at your finger tips. However, the question has to
be asked – how do you get there? The starting point is to
measure up the racecar. While this might cound like stating the perfectly obvious, if you don’t do this you might as well pack your bags and go home. I wrote an article a year ago on this subject, but let me present some highlights again here:
• You will require a measuring pad to accurately measure the car. Ensure the pad is within a tolerance of +/-1mm from end to end. And, if it’s an open wheeler / Sportscar, take the floor off
• Measure the suspension geometry
• Deduce the motion ratios February 2012 •
www.racecar-engineering.com 69
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100