Advanced Motorsport Engineering MSc

Cranfield University

As an introductory non-assessed module it sets the scene for both the Advanced Motorsport Engineering and Advanced Motorsport Mechatronics MSc courses, providing the context for motorsport engineering and mechatronics in relation to the sport and the industry behind it.

To provide you with a series of learning activities during which you will acquire an understanding of the engineering principles on which engine design and development depend. Some activities will be classroom based, some reliant on group work and some requiring active learning by the student. The course aims to encourage you to acquire skills in information gathering, the processing of information, analysis and communication and these skills will be tested by written assignments.

Provides an understanding of the electronic and data acquisition systems that are integral to the modern motorsport vehicle. Appreciation of principles of data acquisition to “get good data” on track or in test environments. Provides methodologies for the analysis and interpretation of the data acquired, and how this underpins all performance optimisation.

To provide you with fundamental information on vehicle dynamics focussing on limit behaviour with explanations and derivations from first principles, using simplified physical models. To provide experience of a computer based dynamics simulation package of industrial standard, and to provide experimental exercises to illustrate major physical concepts.

To provide you with a series of learning activities during which they will acquire an understanding of how to apply management techniques to the context of motorsport and thus building an awareness of the specific management challenges faced in this sector. The course aims to encourage you to acquire skills in information gathering, the processing of information, analysis and communication and these skills will be evaluated and assessed by group presentation and by written group assignment.

Aerodynamics is a critical element of modern motorsport vehicle design. This module will enable students to understand the basic principles governing aerodynamics in relation to competition vehicles, including the use of wind tunnel testing techniques.

The module aims to provide an introduction to the selection, processing, design, and analysis of competition vehicles. The module offers combination of lectures covering fundamental concepts and engineering theories, lab exercises, finite element modelling and simulations, tutorial and peer review exercises.

The module on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for Motorsport is an introductory course on how CFD works. This module exposes the learner to all relevant concepts that are required to conduct a CFD simulation, from meshing, setting up the solver, selecting an appropriate turbulence modelling strategy, to visualising results, and managing simulation errors and uncertainties. High-performance computing will be touched upon as well, which will enable the learner to run simulations for large and realistic geometries. By the end of the module, the learner will be able to perform their own CFD simulation for motorsport applications and evaluate aerodynamic designs. Lift, drag, and moment coefficients extracted from CFD simulations may then be used in vehicle dynamics models to characterise the performance of a given geometry.

Provide detailed understanding and practical experience of the use of composite materials in racing car structures including materials selection, component design, manufacturing technology processing and performance.