[Tech Issue] Williams KERS 2011

[darcym]

is Williams still using the Fly Wheel driven KERS ?

in the BBC 1 show today they appear to have gone to the battery system as the other teams have.

[PabloTeK]

I think the Flybrid system was a little too bulky/heavy for an F1 car? ISTR it's something to do with you need one spiining each direction like the Avro Lancaster used to do to stop odd effects happening! Could be wrong though...

[JamesH]

Originally Posted by PabloTeK

I think the Flybrid system was a little too bulky/heavy for an F1 car? ISTR it's something to do with you need one spiining each direction like the Avro Lancaster used to do to stop odd effects happening! Could be wrong though...

I believe you are right - you need contra rotating gyoscopes to cancel out the gyroscopic effect.

Its a shame this system isn't getting the development it deserves (or is it?). It has obvious application for roadcars, unlike most F1 tech. No batteries, complicated electronics etc, just a mechanical box that saves petrol.

[Kempi]

Porsche had it in their GT 3 RSR Hybrid at the Nürburgring 24h and, if I am not mistaken, they are using it in the 918 Supercar.

[fourWheelDrift]

Originally Posted by JamesH

I believe you are right - you need contra rotating gyoscopes to cancel out the gyroscopic effect.

Its a shame this system isn't getting the development it deserves (or is it?). It has obvious application for roadcars, unlike most F1 tech. No batteries, complicated electronics etc, just a mechanical box that saves petrol.

If the axis of the flyweel is vertical the precession forces are small and probably won't matter. You cannot put the axis in any other direction as cornering on the limit will become impossible as the car tries to roll and/or pitch violently as it changes direction. From a drivetrain point of view I suspect that vertical isn't good as the engine crankshaft, gearbox shafts and driveshafts are all more or less horizontal. All solvable but probably a lot easier to solve in a road car than the tightly constrained environment of an F1 car.