Telemetry in Motor Racing

Ideas in Context

What is telemetry?

• Telemetry is a technology that allows remote measurement and reporting of information.

Explain the following terms:

• Engine performance – is the adjustment, modification or design of

internal combustion engines to yield optimal performance, to increase an engine's power output, economy, or durability.

• Aerodynamic efficiency – A term used to describe the relationship

between the downforce a car generates, and drag.

Explain the following terms:

• Oil pressure – pressure that keeps oil on the moving parts of

an internal-combustion engine. • Tyre grip

– the word grip in a tyre context is used to describe the friction between the tyre and the track.

• Brake wear– The wearing away of the contact surfaces of

friction brakes at the same rate across the entire surface.

What is the difference between speed and velocity?

• Velocity – is speed with a direction vector associated

with it. It's that direction vector that makes them different.

• Speed – is the displacement (distance traveled) per

unit time.

Why is data transmitted to engineers in the pit lane?

• So engineers can properly tune the car for optimum performance

• lap time of the car can be calculated and this is what the driver is expected to meet

• Also check Safety

• How can momentum and kinetic energy be calculated from the data?

Momentum of racing car

• Momentum = Mass x Velocity

• When the car is empty:• Mass = 5000 • Velocity = 22.2

• 5000 x 22.2 • = 111,000 kgm/s

Change of momentum Momentum = Force x time

Assume car takes 5 sec to accelerate

from stationary to top speed.

What is the force needed to do that?

Force = =

= 299,700 Newton's

Momentum

Time

1,498,500 kgm/s

5 seconds

Kinetic Energy

• KE = ½ x M x V2 (Assume empty car)

• = 0.5 x 5000 x 22.2 x 22.2

• = 1,232,100 J

• Or 1,232 KJ

Name the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum in order of increasing

wavelength.

Give another use for radio waves and microwaves.

• Radio waves uses – – Radio – MRI scans – Astronomy

• Microwave uses –– Cooking food– Mobile phones – Global positioning system (GPS)– Astronomy

Describe the motion of the racing car

between 3000 and 4000 metres.

• The car is steadily speeding up, then a sudden drop in speed and slows down (maybe due to a sharp corner). At 3500 metre there is sudden acceleration of the car.

How and why would the graph be different if it showed velocity-distance rather than speed-

distance.• A velocity-time graph has the velocity or speed of

an object on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. The distance travelled can be calculated by finding the area under a velocity-time graph.

Draw the signal traces for analogue and digital signals and define what is meant by analogue and

digital signals.

Music and speech vary continuously in frequency and amplitude. In the same way, analogue signals can vary in frequency, amplitude or both.

Digital signals are a series of pulses consisting of just two states, ON (1) or OFF (0). There are no values in between.

• Give 2 reasons why some Formula 1 teams have switched from analogue to digital systems for their radio connection with the racing driver.

• Digital signals carry more information per second than analogue signals. This is the same whether optical fibers, cables or radio waves are used.

• Digital signals maintain their quality over long distances better than analogue signals. Therefore less noise produced.

How do crumple zones work as a safety feature?

• Modern cars have safety features that absorb kinetic energy in collisions.

•• As they deform they

increase the amount of time the person takes to come to a stop. This reduces the acceleration and force on the person, so reducing injury.

How does a seat belt work as a safety feature?

• A seatbelt's job is to spread the stopping force across sturdier parts of your body in order to minimize damage.

• Seat belts have to be replaced after a crash because the large forces may damage them.

How does the HANS device work?

• The purpose of the device is to stop the head from "whipping forward" in a crash, without otherwise restricting movement of the neck.

• The HANS device maintains the relative position of the head to the body, with the device transferring energy to the much stronger chest, torso, shoulder, seatbelts and seat as the head is decelerated.

Why is the forehead better suited then the top of the spine to taking the

force during an impact?

• The forehead is stronger and harder compared to the neck which spine which is more prone to injuries.