Technical Regulations and Validation Tests

General information

CourseTechnical Regulations and Validation Tests
Credits 6
Professor Cesare STOCCHI

Brief content description

This class aims to give the students an overview of the regulations that govern the motorsport world, and how these define the level of safety and performance of all the racing categories. In addition, it will be demonstrated how the regulations deeply affect the engineering work in terms of design, structural analysis, experimental testing, aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and on-track operations. Even though the regulations define the performance level of a category, it is always possible to increase the performance reading the regulations in a clever way and pushing the design at the very edge of legality. This is true for every racing category and especially true where the competition is particularly high, as in F1 (practical examples and strategies for each car area will be provided). Particular care will be given on how the FIA, and the other international motorsport organizations, are composed and operate, especially in the creation of a new championship or regulation. The relationships between the FIA, racing teams, car manufactures and championship organizers are complex but present several challenges and opportunities that have to be managed, and taken advantage of, from the technical, strategical, and business point of views. A chapter-by-chapter study of the current F1 technical regulation will be performed, with a particular focus on the structural, and safety, parts. The homologation of the chassis, bodywork, and crash structures will be discussed in-depth. This comprises a study of the regulation, an extensive workshop on finite element simulations of the homologation tests, and performing in the lab homologation experimental tests (both static and crash).

Degree programme

This course is part of

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Students can enrol in up to 3 subjects for each academic year, even if they are not enrolled in other study programmes in Italy or abroad.
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