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What is F1 in Schools?

F1 in Schools is a global, multi-disciplinary competition, that challenges secondary school students to design, build and race miniature, compressed air-powered, balsa wood Formula 1 cars of the future. Student teams compete against each other in Regional and National Finals of an annual Championship to determine the best-engineered and fastest car in Ireland.

Competitors will have an exciting educational experience, expressing their creativity, skills and team-working ability in a fun and positive way.

The main objective of the competition is to raise the profile of technology, engineering and science across our secondary schools and by creating a fun and exciting learning environment for students to develop an informed view of careers in these areas.

Teams that are successful in the National Finals battle it all the way to the top, to be crowned F1 in Schools World Champions, and win the coveted Bernie Ecclestone Trophy. The World Championship 2014 is to be held in Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi and promises to be an exciting experience for all involved. 

So, follow us as we strive to be the F1 in Schools World Champions 2014! 

 

Plan

 

You've got your mates together in a team. You've decided which roles each team member will take. Now it's time to gather your bright ideas into a five-page plan. View past team's portfolios from previous F1 in Schools championships from around the world online and use exemplar five page plans to act as a guide for putting your own plan together. The Rules & Regulations gives full details on the Qualifying Stage. Remember: if you want to get ahead of your competitors ... Innovation is the key! 

Design



Congratulations! You have passed the Qualifying Stage – now it's time to put your bright ideas to work. Your technology teacher should be able to help you investigate the aerodynamics of racing car design, and view past teams' portfolios from previous F1 in Schools championships from Ireland here. Teams use CAD software to develop their ideas and model them in 3D. You will need to spend some time exploring the software to see what it can do to help you design your F1 car.

 

Make

 

Now that you've aerodynamically refined your car design, it's time to transform it into an actual, physical car. This is a two-step process:

 

  • CAD to CAM: You convert your CAD file into a CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) file that can be read by a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) system.

  • UGSNX, Pro/ENGINEER and other CAM software programs prepare CAD designs for automated manufacturing processes by enabling toolpaths to be plotted over complex 3D shapes.

  • CAM to CNC: The CNC system shapes the balsa wood block into a physical car based on the design specifications in the supplied CAM file.

 

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Analyse

 

You've designed your car. You think it's pretty hot. But how will it perform? Engineers need to worry about two main aerodynamic factors:

  • Drag: Your car will move faster if its shape minimises the resistance of the air to its forward movement.

  • Lift: Things that move quickly tend to 'take off'. You're not building an airplane, so you'll want your car's shape to minimise this natural effect.

 

Aerodynamics are analysed for drag coefficiency in a virtual wind tunnel using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

 

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Test

 

In addition to creating your F1 car, your Make Centre may have wind and/or smoke tunnels to help you enhance your car's performance to find those extra thousandths of a second for race day.

At this stage team members add the final touches: finishing the car with a high quality paint in the team colour scheme and decorating it with any sponsorship decals or advertising.

Teams must produce a portfolio of supporting evidence for their work. This includes their initial ideas, the design development process, a specification sheet, a 1st angle orthographic projection and a graphic rendering of their final design. Teams must also prepare a verbal presentation on their work.

Race day is getting near ...

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Race

 

Today is the day when all those weeks of work pay off. Race day has arrived. But the F1 in Schools championship is about more than head-to-head racing at 110km/hr.

Teams are evaluated using multiple criteria, you are expected to perform several activities including displays of portfolios and verbal presentations.

You'll have had an exciting educational experience, expressing your creativity, skills and teamworking ability in a fun and positive way.

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