UWE Bristol Engineering showcase 2015

Jaber Amiri
MEng Motorsport Engineering
Project Supervisor
John Kamalu
Improving the engine efficiency in Formula One by harnessing
vibrational energy using a magnetic damper
Faraday’s laws of Electromagnetics:
Michael Faraday was a physicist instrumental to
discovering a practical method of electricity
generation. He found that voltage can be induced
within a circuit when a magnetic field is passed
within close proximity to the circuit; this voltage
was named induced electromotive force (emf)
Project summary
This project looks into improving the efficiency of
Formula One engines by harnessing the vibrational
forces.
Project Objectives
The aim of the project is to find the vibrations caused
by the Formula One engine and to design a magnetic
damper system to harness these forces and redirect it
back into the power unit.
Primary Force:
Primary force is generated by the inertia of the
piston as it changes directions at TDC (Top-Dead-
Centre where the piston is at the highest point in
the cylinder) and BDC (Bottom-Dead-Centre where
the piston is at the lowest point in the cylinder).
FIA Regulations:
The engines must also be 6-cylinders arranged in a V-
shape where the angle between the cylinders is 90
degrees. The cylinders must be equal in dimension to
each other. Each cylinder must have two inlet valves
and two outlet valves of which the dimensions are
constrained. The power unit must weigh a minimum
of 145kg including the energy recover unit. The
centre of gravity of this power unit is limited to a
minimum of 200mm from the reference plane.
Indicated Power:
When the Formula One engine is idle at 6000rpm,
the maximum power the magnetic dampers
harnessed is 1500W. When the engine is revolving at
its maximum revolutions per minute, the damper
must harness a maximum of 22.5kW of power. At
idle, the total power per engine cycle for a 4-stroke
engine is 47.45kW (63.6bp) and at maximum
crankshaft speeds the total power is 741.42kW
(994.2bhp).
Project Conclusion
This project proposed a method to harness up
to 1900bhp of vibrational forces at maximum
crankshaft revolutions. This project also found
that implementation of the magnetic damper
into the suspension system is possible in its
current layout.
Magnetic Damper Design:
One of the fundamental factors in this design is that
the stationary electromagnet is powered by the battery
in the power unit. This design incorporates the
magnetic damper into the power unit with a parallel
circuit orientation; the reason for this is so that the
engine vibrations will be damped constantly even
when an electrical failure in other electrical devices
occur.