JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #53 - November/December 2009 - 38

FEATURE “Automotive” Renault F1 team cuts development time for composite diffuser by 50% Vistagy’s FiberSIM® software helps cut the time it takes to design and produce the diffuser for ING Renault F1 team’s R29 race car in half. By helping the team to quickly adapt to changes in F1 technology, the composite software also boosts competitiveness. istagy, a provider of industry-specific engineering software and services, announced that the ING Renault F1 Team was able to reduce the time it took to design and manufacture a composite diffuser for its R29 race car from twelve to six weeks, using FiberSIM® composite software as part of the project. As a result, the team was able to get the new diffuser on the track two races sooner than would have been possible without this composite software, dramatically enhancing its race competitiveness. V Focus The Renault F1 Team was born in 2002 with a single purpose: winning the FIA Formula One World Championship with a 100% Renault car. The team’s heritage of motorsport innovation stretches back to Renault’s first Formula 1 race in 1977 and includes six world constructor championships during the 1990s, when Renault supplied V10 engines to front-running F1 competitors. Drawing on this heritage, the team has steadily grown in competitiveness, thanks to a blend of performance, reliability and technology reinforced by the engineering expertise of the Renault Group. It reached a pinnacle of performance during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, winning the driver and constructor championships in both seasons in an historic double-double achievement. seasons to design and manufacture all composite parts, including the chassis, gearbox, floor, side pods and wing main planes. The team reported time savings of 20-30% for the gearbox on the R29, but the 50% reduction in the time it took to design and manufacture the diffuser (comprising over 100 plies of carbon fibre) set a new standard for efficient development composite parts. “We worked with an outside supplier and asked if they’d like electronic templates generated by FiberSIM for manufacturing the diffuser,” said Ian Goddard, senior CAE engineer for the ING Renault F1 Team. “This provided the supplier with better accuracy than they were used to. In fact, the quality of manufacturing data was better than anything they’ve ever had. “With ply books, we normally expect some ambiguity, but by using this software we are able to manufacture the car just as it is designed. That makes a big difference in the 16-week period leading up to the season, but it is even more critical during the season when a part needs to be produced and shipped in time for the next race, as was the case with the diffuser.” The ING Renault F1 Team reported that the 50% savings experienced on the first double diffuser design, reducing the The so-called “double diffuser” was used to great effect by the Brawn GP Toyota and Williams teams in the first two rounds of , the 2009 Formula One season. However, ambiguity in the regulations meant many teams felt the double diffuser was not permissible under the 2009 regulations. Renault F1 was one of four teams to appeal for its use, an appeal that was denied by the governing Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Like many other teams, the Renault F1 Team had been working on its own version of the large “double diffuser” floor, which smoothly channels air under and out of the back of the car, increasing downforce, lateral grip and overall performance. Once the FIA issued the ruling allowing the use of the new diffuser, the composite software helped the team quickly implement it. The ING Renault F1 Team has used FiberSIM for the last seven jec composites magazine / No53 November - December 2009

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #53 - November/December 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #53 - November/December 2009