F1 News & Discussions > Pit Pass

158 times a second!

(1/1)

Wizzo:
When it comes to horsepower produced by the internal combustion engine, the most fascinating game of all is Formula One. And while Ferrari has dominated the F1 scene of late thanks to a dream team of sponsors, engineers, managers and perhaps the best F1 driver of a generation, there have been some stand-out performances by other teams in this, the most expensive sport in history.

For those with a technical bent, consider these awesome statistics; 19,000rpm (revolutions per minute) means 9,500 ignitions per minute per cylinder. That translates to 158 ignitions per second for each cylinder, or one ignition every six thousandth of a second. The fuel/air mixture is drawn into the cylinder, compressed by the piston and ignited by the spark plug; then the flame front travels through the entire combustion chamber, the combustion gas expands and, by means of the pistons, provides the engine's power before being discharged through the exhaust ports. All this happens 158 times a second in each of the 10 cylinders. Warning- don't try this at home!

Steven Roy:
19,000 rpm doesn't sound that special any more but the idea of 158 ignitions or a piston moving up and down a cylinder 316 times a second is barely credible.

Ian:
Wow, I can't believe that I missed this one, those statistics are unbelievable.  :swoon:

Dare:
What'd you think Ian,it was another
Wiz joke? ;)

Ian:
No Dare, I honestly missed this post, 158 ignitions per second for each cylinder is unreal.

Navigation

[0] Message Index