How do formula 1 cars wheel rim connect to the hubs?

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ashf1mclaren
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Joined: 16 Dec 2009, 23:31
Location: United Kingdom

How do formula 1 cars wheel rim connect to the hubs?

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i am investigating how they attach and how affective this is in terms of friction and wear. i am un sure whether the wheels connect like a normal car or because of the single nut they connect differently?....i am also intrested in the system they use as there is no differential on the front wheels....the rear wheel are not of intrest as i am not looking for power transfer just a effective effiecent way of keeping wheels on in a high speed and acceleration situations.
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WhiteBlue
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Re: how do formula 1 cars wheel rim connect to the hubs?

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There is an article on formula1.com that may help.

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Mystery Steve
Mystery Steve
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Joined: 25 Sep 2009, 07:04
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Re: how do formula 1 cars wheel rim connect to the hubs?

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The wheels are not held against the hub with friction. There is a mechanical locking mechanism that is used "mesh" the wheel and hub together. Typical setups in other series use a series of studs on the hub spread radially around the nut thread and the wheel has matching holes in the same radial pattern as the studs. These studs and holes interlock. I'm not sure if F1 wheels use the exact same method, but it is similar. They may use something different to make quick wheel changes during pit stops easier.

marcush.
marcush.
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Joined: 09 Mar 2004, 16:55

Re: how do formula 1 cars wheel rim connect to the hubs?

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Mystery Steve wrote:The wheels are not held against the hub with friction. There is a mechanical locking mechanism that is used "mesh" the wheel and hub together. Typical setups in other series use a series of studs on the hub spread radially around the nut thread and the wheel has matching holes in the same radial pattern as the studs. These studs and holes interlock. I'm not sure if F1 wheels use the exact same method, but it is similar. They may use something different to make quick wheel changes during pit stops easier.
there is a bit missing there....if it only were the drive pegs interlocking with the hub and not the wheelnut providing the preload,then it would be no problem if a wheelnut was not applied with the correct torque.Just fix it to the rim put a sturdy lock in front of the nut ,presto.
with the backside of the wheelnut being a conical shape it follows the same concept as a normal wheelnut and supplies via its mounting torque the necessary clamping force.As there is no cone on the backside of the wheel or one protruding from the hub it is clear that the flat face is the clamped surface transmitting the forces.the pegs are are not enough to take all the loads as seen on vettels off.

riff_raff
riff_raff
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Joined: 24 Dec 2004, 10:18

Re: How do formula 1 cars wheel rim connect to the hubs?

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ashf1mclaren,

F1 wheels and hubs are different from road cars. F1 wheels use a single center nut on a threaded hub shaft to hold the wheel in place, with the driving and braking torques being transmitted between wheel and hub by shear pins on the hub flange. Road cars, on the other hand, use a radial pattern of threaded studs and lug nuts to clamp the wheel to the hub.

The studs and lug nuts on a road car wheel are designed to transfer all driving and braking forces to the hub solely through friction. This is done to eliminate any possibility of fretting damage at the metal-to-metal interface between the wheel and hub. Fretting damage will eventually lead to fractures in the wheel or hub flange, so it is to be avoided.

It is not really practical to generate sufficient clamping force with a single centerlock nut on an F1 wheel to transfer driving and braking forces through friction. It would require a massive torque on the nut. So F1 wheels rely on a close tolerance shear fit between the hub pins and the wheel holes. This arrangement does not prevent fretting damage to the surfaces of the wheel and hub flange, since regardless of how close tolerance the pin fit is there will always still be some micro slippage. But for the very limited service life required for F1 parts, it doesn't seem to be an issue.

Regards,
riff_raff
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