Wirth Research will showcase its full range of in-house developed simulator tools at the Autosport Engineering show at Birmingham’s NEC in January 9-10.
The British Engineering firm has invited teams from all championships to learn about the value of simulators, offering performance gains via its end-to-end package of 3D, full motion simulator, vehicle, tyre and track models, simulation software and simulator engineers.
Wirth Research is an established pioneer in the field of advanced virtual engineering, having worked with Honda Performance Development to help design, develop and manufacture the championship-winning ARX sports car, developed and tested extensively at Wirth Research’s Oxfordshire base before the car even turned a wheel.
“Simulators are widely used by teams at all levels for driver training, but limitations in track, vehicle and tyre model accuracy limit their use in race car engineering and their use in this critical aspect is still relatively untapped outside Formula 1,” said Wirth Research founder, Nick Wirth. “Wirth Research offers easy access to one of the most developed 3D motion simulators in the industry, as well as advanced vehicle and tyre models and the opportunity to use and learn from our experienced simulation engineers.”
Wirth invested in its first driver-in-the-loop simulator in 2007 and has developed reliable, accurate sports car and single-seater vehicle models, which can be adapted to the specific vehicles and setups of the customer.
“Teams in formulas where track testing is limited, from GP3 upwards, can make significant performance gains by arriving at the race weekend with the best possibly prepared car, having tested multiple settings in a variety of track conditions beforehand,” added Wirth. “This can be achieved without the need to invest in a simulator and in time to make a difference for the 2014 race season.”
At the heart of Wirth Research’s simulator offer is its MuRiTyre physical tyre model, that is able to handle solution speeds in excess of 1kHz. The model has both mechanical and thermal modes to predict tyre performance with load and temperature, and can also calculate the performance changes over time due to wear and degradation.
“A good tyre model is essential if engineers are to understand and predict the effect of changes to the car on tyre performance. The tyre model accounts for at least 50 per cent of a good simulation package,” concluded Wirth.
Wirth Research’s experts will be on hand at Autosport Engineering to discuss the range of engineering services and capabilities available.
