Audi R18 e-tron quattro
Published by Autobahnbuzz (Audi R-18)
Audi R-18
Audi has created the new Audi R-18, its lightest sports prototype in its illustrious history. Audi needed to master a particularly tough task just before the 2014 season. Since the brand entered into Le Mans model racing in 1999, the safety regulations have never been as stringent and a race auto as intricate as this year. At the very same time, the vehicle has been engineered and designed to be lighter than ever before.
Design designers– whether in manufacturing or race vehicle engineering– are charged to fix target problems on an everyday basis. The principle layout of the new Audi R18 e-tron quattro confronted the designers at Audi Sporting activity with an especially tough demand. On the one hand, the auto racing weight of the LMP1 vehicles compared to last year had to loose weight from 915 to 870 kilograms.
The eight wheel tethers (two per wheel) which are to avoid the splitting up of the wheels from the car in instance of an accident are new also. Additionally, the 2014 Audi R18 e-tron quattro is outfitted with a rear collision absorbing structure. This new part made of carbon fiber improved plastic (CFRP) takes in the power in a rear-end accident. And, lastly, the rules now permit transmissions with 7 instead of the previous 6 ahead gears. The brand-new equipment set and its actuation make a distinction on the scales. “The accumulation of all these steps corresponds to an added weight of more than 20 kgs,” discusses Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Technology at Audi Sporting activity.
Consequently, the designers were charged to make the newly made race auto even lighter in comparison to in the past– to compensate for this added weight while attaining the lower minimum weight. “Many thanks to our continuous advancement there are no actions left that would certainly generate major weight cost savings in a single step. Rather, the art depends on obtaining more improvements of all the information,” mentions Wolfgang Appel, Head of Car Technology at Audi Sport. Audi has actually consistently increased the CFRP content in the race auto. In the 2014 period, the steering column of the sporting prototype is made from this product for the very first time. This product continues to be banned in various areas. For instance, the tire suspension aspects still need to be made of metal materials, according to the rules.
Because of these regulatory specifications and technological options the area for maneuverability becomes progressively constrained year after year. In spite of this, Audi attained its target weight in the R18 e-tron quattro for the current period. The diesel hybrid sports car meets excess 870 the kilograms benchmark right on the bullseye.
The new Audi R18 e-tron quattro is much safer, lighter and a lot more effective compared to any of its precursors, and Audi’s light-weight modern technology has played a major part in this. For greater than two decades, the business has been proving its experience in this area in the development of its manufacturing cars also.