Cool facts about the Cosworth CA2010 F1 engine

[John S]

We are aware that F1 engines are highly advanced specialist bits of kit, however it is sometimes hard to get our heads round just how hard and fast they have to work. I hope the following may help de-mystify some of the extreme workings of an F1 powerplant, it has for me, so enjoy:- 

The following real world facts and figures aim to give some useful comparisons to appreciate the extraordinary machine that is the Cosworth CA2010 F1 engine.

Valves: - Can match the fastest Humming bird wing beat
The speed and precision of the engine valve movements (which allow air and fuel to enter and exhaust gases to exit the cylinder) are crucial to the power and performance of the CA2010. A pneumatic spring system is employed to enable the frequency to be achieved while maintaining absolute control over valve position.

At maximum engine speed, each valve opens and closes 150 times per second. That’s the same as a hummingbird's wing speed (the ruby-throated hummingbird).

Air Intake:  - Equals 20 vacuum cleaners   

At peak power the CA2010 ingests air fast enough to empty a typical living room in about 60 seconds, a task that would take over 20 minutes for the average home vacuum.

(We don't suggest you use a CA2010 to clean your carpets!)

Piston Speed: - 30 times faster than you can blink. 

The speed of the piston is of course closely linked to overall engine speed. At maximum engine speed each piston will travel up and down the cylinder bore (a distance of 39.75mm) 300 times each second – that’s 30 times in the blink of a human eye.

Crankshaft:  -Will spin over a million times at Monza.

The CA2010 crank shaft which transmits the engine power to the gearbox in the car, rotates up to 18,000 times each minute. During a typical race, at Monza for example, this crank shaft will spin approximately 22,000 times each lap and will have completed an amazing 1.17 million revolutions by the end of the 53 laps that make up race distance.

To meet the engine life restrictions that require each driver to use no more than 8 engines in the season, this same crank will then need to do the whole thing again at least twice more. This gives a lifetime total approaching 3.5 million revolutions in which the crankshaft transfers over 750 horsepower to the gearbox equivalent to 0.56 Mega Watts.

Connecting Rod: - Can take the weight of a Range Rover.

At 18000 rpm the peak acceleration for each piston is 8600g (i.e. 8600 x force of gravity) – over 2000 times greater than the peak cornering and braking figures for an F1 car. This piston acceleration is equivalent to a weight of around 2.5 tons (or the weight of a Range Rover) pulling on the connecting rod.

Technical info courtesy Cosworth.

[lkjohnson1950]

When Penske first began running the Porsche 917-10 Can-Am car, they put the engine on their dyno and found the cooling fan would evacuate the room in seconds stalling the engine. They had to redesign the building to force feed air to the fan. Racing engines are remarkable beasts.

Lonny