Ferrari Power Unit Hardware & Software

[dren]

Why would Ferrari switch now? They have arguably the best PU on the grid. I can see them improving on what they have. It's been successful so far.

[siskue2005]

Why would Ferrari switch now? They have arguably the best PU on the grid. I can see them improving on what they have. It's been successful so far.

Yup, why would they want to change their winning formula?
Just like 2013 when Mclaren decided to go radical rather than a evolution of their winning formula

There is a reason the Mercedes car even looks almost the same for the past few years

[LM10]

2020 will be a challenge for Ferrari not only on the aerodynamic front, to recover the disadvantage from Mercedes, but also on the engine side. The potential expressed in terms of Power Unit in 2019 has been the best for the Italian team since the turbo hybrid era. Therefore maintaining the technical advantage also in 2020 is a prerogative for the team of Mattia Binotto.

Engineers and engineers worked in the factory developing an internal combustion engine with new technologies and working methods. The new Ferrari 2020 internal combustion engine should have an estimated power of 850 HP in its "specification 1", about thirty more than last season. To these must of course be added the approximately 160 HP of the hybrid part, for a total of over a thousand horsepower.

With the advent of the 065 Power Unit, Ferrari introduces bi-metallic technology, replacing the old aluminum alloy for the pistons. This new technology of materials, despite having a higher specific weight in the order of a quarter of kg, allows for greater calorific value. All this benefits a lower thermal expansion, and therefore allows you to work with greater temperature ranges in the combustion chamber.

The use of special additives for fuel, and specially designed lubricating oils, allows to improve the power and performance of the 065 power unit, while not losing in terms of efficiency and reliability of the engine.

On the other hand Ferrari for 2020 has also worked a lot on the reliability front, given the many technical troubles of 2019. The higher operating temperatures have made the red engineers also intervene on all the part involved in the disposal of heat (radiator , intercooler), to avoid overheating problems. In fact, one of the key points of the new Ferrari 65 Power Unit will be reliability.

https://www.circusf1.com/2020/01/f1-fer ... -video.php

[izzy]

With the advent of the 065 Power Unit, Ferrari introduces bi-metallic technology, replacing the old aluminum alloy for the pistons. This new technology of materials, despite having a higher specific weight in the order of a quarter of kg, allows for greater calorific value. All this benefits a lower thermal expansion, and therefore allows you to work with greater temperature ranges in the combustion chamber.

The use of special additives for fuel, and specially designed lubricating oils, allows to improve the power and performance of the 065 power unit, while not losing in terms of efficiency and reliability of the engine

it's great to have these exciting details. On reddit they're talking 880 hp, running it all hotter, and experimenting with 3D printing the block even, it sounds like

[Oehrly]

On reddit they're talking 880 hp, running it all hotter, and experimenting with 3D printing the block even, it sounds like

3d printing the block sounds very unrealistic for various reasons. I can believe they print some parts, pistons maybe as often speculated, but not the whole block.

Metal 3d printing has issues with the possible strength of parts. Surface roughness is not great, thereby possibly reducing fatigue strength.
Simulation of 3d printed parts is not as reliable as with conventional manufacturing processes.
Furthermore, the process is quite slow and the block is not a small part at all.

I think it would be very time consuming to do and still pose quite a reliability risk. If possible at all. Not talking about what benefits really could be had from doing it.

[izzy]

On reddit they're talking 880 hp, running it all hotter, and experimenting with 3D printing the block even, it sounds like

3d printing the block sounds very unrealistic for various reasons. I can believe they print some parts, pistons maybe as often speculated, but not the whole block.

Metal 3d printing has issues with the possible strength of parts. Surface roughness is not great, thereby possibly reducing fatigue strength.
Simulation of 3d printed parts is not as reliable as with conventional manufacturing processes.
Furthermore, the process is quite slow and the block is not a small part at all.

I think it would be very time consuming to do and still pose quite a reliability risk. If possible at all. Not talking about what benefits really could be had from doing it.

i know what you mean but in Indycars they've 3D printed the titanium halo, and that has to be strong: https://racer.com/2019/10/01/indycar-ae ... ow-at-ims/

so yes a whole block would be an advance, but can we say it's not possible? It's such a fast-moving technology. And they are only experimenting (apparently)

[subcritical71]

so yes a whole block would be an advance, but can we say it's not possible? It's such a fast-moving technology. And they are only experimenting (apparently)

I don’t think building a block with additive is the problem, it's the restrictions on material type. The material technology being used in additive would be against FIA rules. GE already 3D prints aviation engine components you and I could see attached to the wing of a plane we are riding on... Siemens has developed a turbine blade which is 3D printed (probably the harshest environment to operate in terms of load and temperature). I think I also saw that space x is using it for their rocket engines.

I also would not start with the block but rather the ancillaries to the block, doing things that make additive the evolution it is, incorporating features that cannot be achieved with traditional Manufacturing, combining multiple parts into one... reducing interfaces and stack ups, therefore allowing tighter clearance control and subsequent margin to failure improvements.

[izzy]

I don’t think building a block with additive is the problem, it's the restrictions on material type. The material technology being used in additive would be against FIA rules. GE already 3D prints aviation engine components you and I could see attached to the wing of a plane we are riding on... Siemens has developed a turbine blade which is 3D printed (probably the harshest environment to operate in terms of load and temperature). I think I also saw that space x is using it for their rocket engines.

I also would not start with the block but rather the ancillaries to the block, doing things that make additive the evolution it is, incorporating features that cannot be achieved with traditional Manufacturing, combining multiple parts into one... reducing interfaces and stack ups, therefore allowing tighter clearance a control and subsequent margin to failure improvements.

Afaics from reading around a bit they can print with steel alloys, which seems to be the plan so they can run the combustion chamber hotter and get more thermal efficiency.

They want to do it with additive so they can get better cooling for it, with i guess more and smaller channels round it than they can have with casting.

The biggest problem sounds like it'd be warping of such a big piece, as it cools from being melting temperature.

Anyway totally F1 and good luck if they've done it, can't wait to see

[Alexf1]

Why would Ferrari switch now? They have arguably the best PU on the grid. I can see them improving on what they have. It's been successful so far.

It will be very interesting to see what caracteristics the 2020 engine will have under accelleration on first part of a straight compared to the 2018/2019 engine.

[Oehrly]

I don’t think building a block with additive is the problem, it's the restrictions on material type. The material technology being used in additive would be against FIA rules. GE already 3D prints aviation engine components you and I could see attached to the wing of a plane we are riding on... Siemens has developed a turbine blade which is 3D printed (probably the harshest environment to operate in terms of load and temperature). I think I also saw that space x is using it for their rocket engines.

So, I did a bit of research. According to the 2020 regs:

Other than inserts within them, engine crankcases including sump, cylinder heads and cylinder head cam covers must be manufactured from aluminium or iron alloys.

Space X is printing the engine chamber for their superdraco thrusters. They might be comparable in size but certainly not in geometrical complexity. The material is Inconel which is nickel based, so not allowed.
https://www.spacex.com/news/2014/07/31/ ... ber-crewed

The Siemens fan blade is surprisingly small. It can easily be held in one hand. It is manufactured from a "polycrystalline nickel superalloy", so again not allowed.
https://www.power-technology.com/featur ... ss-5741941

GE seems to be printing only smaller parts too. Jet engine fuel nozzles and sensor housings is what I could find. Apparently more parts, but they don't go into more detail.

I'll stay with my opinion, that the whole block is not doable.

I couldn't find a lot on printing with steel alloys. It seems to be marketed more towards tooling, dies and molds? Example: https://www.formetrixmetals.com/wp-cont ... l-2019.pdf
The mechanical properties are very interesting though.

The second part of subcritical71's post above is very likely on the other hand and lists some good points I'd say:

I also would not start with the block but rather the ancillaries to the block, doing things that make additive the evolution it is, incorporating features that cannot be achieved with traditional Manufacturing, combining multiple parts into one... reducing interfaces and stack ups, therefore allowing tighter clearance control and subsequent margin to failure improvements.

GE is talking about reducing the number of parts in their nozzle from 20 to 1 thereby reducing weight by 25%.
Siemens has integrated cooling channels into the fan blades, in a way not possible before.

I'd say smaller parts, maybe complex small assemblies, are what is likely to be 3d printed. Saving space and weight on those can add up I guess.

[63l8qrrfy6]

I heard Ferrari have been using steel crown pistons with Al skirts for the last couple seasons or so. I think that bit is genuine but I doubt it is a recent development.

Last year it was rumored they were trialling AM parts on their single cylinders (I think it was the cylinder head).

Lastly it is my understanding that manufacturers have been racing to achieve the maximum allowed compression ratio and once optimum spark advance was achieved at 18 CR then most of the development would shift towards reducing combustion chamber heat losses and dramatically raising chamber surface temperatures.

It's very exciting as all 'adiabatic engine' experiments I am aware of (the most important one being the NASA wankel study) found significat heat rejection reduction but very poor reliability (to the point of being impractical), the major limitations being the limited range and properties of coatings that could be applied to aluminium and the poor performance of tribological contacts at high temperatures.

[subcritical71]

I don’t want to highjack the thread, but looking at the Siemens blade.... that is a first step, and a rather big one.... now imagine the entire row of those blades being 3D printed as a ring. Loads can be more evenly distributed, sealing is much improved due to less losses and sometimes a reduction or elimination of sealing requirements (as a ring there are no gaps between blade roots), the weight reduction also loads the rotors less which therefore can now be built with these lower loads in mind (read cheaper/lighter).

Like this, but on a little larger scale https://www.safran-power-units.com/med ... t-20170619

I should add, stationary parts are relatively easy today, but rotating parts where loads are huge (centrifugal loads easily in excess of 100T) is proving to be tricky.

[izzy]

I heard Ferrari have been using steel crown pistons with Al skirts for the last couple seasons or so. I think that bit is genuine but I doubt it is a recent development.

Last year it was rumored they were trialling AM parts on their single cylinders (I think it was the cylinder head).

Lastly it is my understanding that manufacturers have been racing to achieve the maximum allowed compression ratio and once optimum spark advance was achieved at 18 CR then most of the development would shift towards reducing combustion chamber heat losses and dramatically raising chamber surface temperatures.

It's very exciting as all 'adiabatic engine' experiments I am aware of (the most important one being the NASA wankel study) found significat heat rejection reduction but very poor reliability (to the point of being impractical), the major limitations being the limited range and properties of coatings that could be applied to aluminium and the poor performance of tribological contacts at high temperatures.

yes surface temperatures, sounds like the point doesn't it? There's not a lot of point afaics having a steel piston crown unless the rest of the combustion chamber can take the same temperature. Can you 3-D print "a coating"??? The bonding would be total

It must all be a hot topic, with Lorenzo Sassi doing it i think and being snapped up by HPP

[izzy]

Like this, but on a little larger scale https://www.safran-power-units.com/med ... t-20170619

that's a pretty powerful quote isn't it:

"Safran Power Units now has complete mastery of the additive manufacturing process, which includes the ability to design differently, while exploiting the optimization potential in terms of industrial implementation. This allows us to offer our customers lighter engine components and reduced manufacturing cycles, whether for new or spare parts. All of our programs will progressively adopt this new manufacturing process"

[gruntguru]

I'll stay with my opinion, that the whole block is not doable.

3D printing in steel or aluminium alloys is no problem, however conventional additive and subtractive techniques (eg casting and machining) are well developed and the raw materials relatively inexpensive. This is why you see 3D printing emphasis on exotic materials like titanium and nickel alloys.