Wirth Research
Encyclopedia
Wirth Research
Wirth Research is a group of engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
companies specialising in research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, development, design and manufacture for the motor racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
industry and other high technology sectors.
The companies pioneer the use of advanced virtual engineering
Virtual engineering
Virtual engineering is defined as integrating geometric models and related engineering tools such as analysis, simulation, optimization, and decision making tools, etc., within a computer-generated environment that facilitates multidisciplinary collaborative product development...
technologies developed in-house, which enable the use of a complete simulated
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
vehicle design, development and testing process. The company claims this process reduces the the need for development models and prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
manufacture .
The Wirth Research group have a long-standing partnership with Honda Performance Development Inc (HPD)
Honda Performance Development
Honda Performance Development, Inc. is a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co. which was establish in 1993 and is based in Santa Clarita, California...
on the design, development and manufacture of the championship winning ARX sports cars
Acura ARX-01
The Acura ARX-01 is a Le Mans Prototype built for sports car racing, specifically in the American Le Mans Series. It is the first purpose-built race car by the Acura division of Honda Motor Company, part of their multi-year program to eventually compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race...
. Wirth Research have recently announced a new project with Honda Performance Development in which the two companies will collaborate to provide client IndyCar teams with full technical support. The project will also see the two companies develop the new bodywork aerodynamic kits that Honda are set to offer to teams in 2013 .
Design
Wirth Research has internationally recruited engineers from a range of design disciplines that include:- CompositeComposite materialComposite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
structures - SuspensionSuspension (vehicle)Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
- TransmissionTransmission (mechanics)A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
- Electronics and ControlEngine control unitAn engine control unit is a type of electronic control unit that determines the amount of fuel, ignition timing and other parameters an internal combustion engine needs to keep running...
- HydraulicsHydraulicsHydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...
- CoolingRadiator (engine cooling)Radiators are used for cooling internal combustion engines, mainly in automobiles but also in piston-engined aircraft, railway locomotives, motorcycles, stationary generating plant or any similar use of such an engine....
, lubrication and engine ancillariesElectronic control unitIn automotive electronics, electronic control unit is a generic term for any embedded system that controls one or more of the electrical systems or subsystems in a motor vehicle.... - R&D, component systems and whole-vehicle testingAutotestingAutotesting involves a series of tests, generally around traffic cones, to measure precision driving skill. The tests often include stopping with the front and rear wheels straddling a line, and always end stopping in a garage . Sections of each test are usually completed in reverse...
Underpinning the R&D and design processes at Wirth Research is a suite of software and virtual engineering
Virtual engineering
Virtual engineering is defined as integrating geometric models and related engineering tools such as analysis, simulation, optimization, and decision making tools, etc., within a computer-generated environment that facilitates multidisciplinary collaborative product development...
tools provided by Siemens UGS PLM
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
.
Aerodynamic Design
The large aerodynamics department is staffed by designers with a background in the aerodynamic development of championship winning race cars from Formula One to IndyCars, sports cars and touring cars. The aerodynamic concepts generated at Wirth Research are typically evaluated by WR Digital.Real-world validation and performance verification are integral to the aerodynamic development processes at Wirth Research, therefore to supplement mainstream Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) development, Wirth Research have created full-scale wind-tunnel testing technologies and full-car test systems. These are used to validate full-scale aerodynamic test components prior to race application with the aim of saving often expensive and time-consuming, unrepeatable straight line track testing.
Simulation
Wirth Research has developed a range of bespoke software solutions and simulation tools to meet the needs of specific customers in areas including data analysis, aerodynamics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, trackside software, engine and vehicle simulation.Typically these simulation tools are customised to a client's requirements and are designed with the sole purpose of allowing faster and more detailed real time in-event optimisation or pre-event analysis than those used by a team's rivals.
As well as software tools designed to purely improve performance, Wirth Research's programmers have also developed software for car safety including:
- Analysis of position and type of trackside safety barriers to optimise energy absorbing structure positions at racing circuits.
- Dynamic simulations to allow the study of the effects of high speed aerodynamic instability that can lead to a racing car becoming airborne as a result of its design.
- Calculation of impact speeds for high performance cars for individual racing circuits.
- Safety-related car aerodynamic stability investigations.
Vehicle Simulation
The two Wirth Research simulators allow a complete mathematical representation of all elements of a racing car (aerodynamics, chassis, engine, drive train and tyres) to be assembled together and controlled by a driver .The driver's experience of controlling a simulated vehicle is designed to be very similar to that of driving the actual race car. This technology allows different car configurations to be tested without the expense, restrictions and difficulties of track testing.
Wirth Research hold an extensive library of tracks and use the latest technology to ensure the accuracy of track models .
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality technology is under continuous development at Wirth Research. It is used to eliminate wasteful and expensive prototypes, check new concepts for ergonomic and visibility issues and allow clients and partners to visualise new ideas in 1:1 scale.Manufacture
Wirth Research has created a low-volume, aerospace-quality composite manufacturing facility for high quality composite structural items.This division manufactures a range of structural components using the very latest aerospace technologies combined with highly skilled and experienced technicians, validated by a rigorous and innovative post-manufacture quality control.
These components include a range of structural and safety-critical items, starting from complete race car monocoques, as well as crash and impact structures, wing and suspension components
The facility utilises the latest CNC pre-preg cutting techniques, a state of the art clean room featuring the latest aerospace quality laser and video ply-positioning equipment, sophisticated autoclaves capable of curing any range of items manufactured in-house, plus an array of advanced production and inspection equipment to ensure the quality and repeatability of component performance .
Model Creation
An array of advanced multi-processor workstations with up to 512 GB of RAM are used to create and manipulate complex models consisting of hundreds of millions of cells.Model Solution
For 2011, the company has expanded its supercomputer capacity to an array of over 30 high performance 64-bit optically connected supercomputer clusters in order to rapidly solve these complex CFD hundred cases.Project Management
Wirth Research aims to understand commercial and technical design challenges with a philosophy that employs tried and tested methodologies in order to define the problem, scope the resultant project and develop the final engineering solutions. They actively review and manage the test methods selected from concept design, through to development, implementation, analysis and reporting.Commercial considerations can encompass brand management, regulatory and competitive issues.