From Audi Motorsport
The new Audi R18 TDI became the first Audi race car to be developed with the help of the new climatic wind tunnel.
Since the beginning of 2008 the climatic wind tunnel completes the Audi Wind Tunnel Center in Ingolstadt. It creates temperatures between minus 25 and plus 55 degrees Celsius and allows engineers to generate freezing cold and blisteringly hot wind speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. The simulation of sunlight and rain are also possible.
Especially for the Le Mans-destined Audi R18 TDI, the opportunity to use the climatic wind tunnel operated by their production colleagues was extremely valuable for the Audi Sport technicians. The new LMP1 is Audi’s first closed Le Mans sports car since the R8C in 1999.
Work on the R18 TDI in the climatic wind tunnel focused on three areas: optimized airflow through the cockpit, the windscreen and testing the windscreen wiper.
In the climatic wind tunnel ventilation of the closed cockpit was optimized to such an extent that the R18 TDI will manage without air-conditioning at Le Mans. As this costs both weight and power the engineers were happy to exclude the use of such a system. The deposit of rain water or solid materials such as sand, rubber pick-up and stones was also simulated.
The new Audi R18 TDI became the first Audi race car to be developed with the help of the new climatic wind tunnel.
Since the beginning of 2008 the climatic wind tunnel completes the Audi Wind Tunnel Center in Ingolstadt. It creates temperatures between minus 25 and plus 55 degrees Celsius and allows engineers to generate freezing cold and blisteringly hot wind speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. The simulation of sunlight and rain are also possible.
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| Photo: Audi Motorsport |
Especially for the Le Mans-destined Audi R18 TDI, the opportunity to use the climatic wind tunnel operated by their production colleagues was extremely valuable for the Audi Sport technicians. The new LMP1 is Audi’s first closed Le Mans sports car since the R8C in 1999.
Work on the R18 TDI in the climatic wind tunnel focused on three areas: optimized airflow through the cockpit, the windscreen and testing the windscreen wiper.
In the climatic wind tunnel ventilation of the closed cockpit was optimized to such an extent that the R18 TDI will manage without air-conditioning at Le Mans. As this costs both weight and power the engineers were happy to exclude the use of such a system. The deposit of rain water or solid materials such as sand, rubber pick-up and stones was also simulated.
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| Photo: Audi Motorsport |