2023-09-27 16:36:19
The Aston Martin Valhalla, the ultra-luxury brand’s first mass-production mid-engine supercar, benefits from the world’s fastest laboratory, Formula 1. Technological development in F1 is accelerated by the need for speed, reliability and performance.
Aston Martin is adopting the race-proven methodologies, experience and technologies used by the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One (AMF1) team to intensify the development of future models.
Marco Mattiacci, Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer at Aston Martin, said: “Aston Martin’s vision is to build a range of exceptional, class-leading, driver-focused cars, crucial in expanding our product range. Therefore, our first series-production mid-engine supercar will be a transformation for this super-luxury, high-performance brand, as well as for the mid-engine vehicle segment.
The Valhalla represents Aston Martin’s first co-development integration between our road car engineers and the engineering capabilities of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One team through Aston Martin Performance Technologies, and demonstrates the breadth of Aston Martin’s capabilities with technical support and experience in Formula 1.
The technical collaboration between Aston Martin and its eponymous Formula 1 team, which currently occupies fourth place in the FIA Formula One World Constructors’ Championship, is developed through the Aston Martin Performance Technologies (AMPT) team, which directly assists the Aston Martin team. Aston Martin engineering in three key areas of development: dynamics, aerodynamics and materials.
Claudio Santoni, Engineering Director of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, said: “It is a great advantage for a car manufacturer to have access to the unique skills and knowledge of a Formula 1 team.
F1 engineers are constantly pushing the limits in the pursuit of performance and have developed rapid problem-solving tools. With this knowledge ‘at home’ we can seamlessly contribute F1 experience to the development of road cars.”
Driving dynamics
The Aston Martin Valhalla is a truly driver-oriented mid-engine supercar. The vehicle dynamics team, in close collaboration with AMPT, is working flat out to achieve precise dynamic behavior that provides an unprecedented driver experience.
The design of an F1 relies heavily on simulation tools; and the methods used to ensure that every moment spent in the simulator brings progress, have been put into practice in Valhalla. In fact, 90% of the vehicle’s dynamic characteristics and tuning have been carried out in the simulator, while the final phase of development has been completed in the real world, on the road and on the track.
Valuable input from AMF1 pilots adds a new dimension to Valhalla calibration. The elite skills and knowledge of drivers like Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso can elevate vehicle dynamics to a new level while still pushing the car to the extreme limits of its performance capabilities.
The ergonomics of the Valhalla cockpit also benefit from direct cues from Formula 1: the position behind the wheel has been optimized with the support of AMPT to provide the driver with control at the level of a racing car, in order to Maximize driving pleasure.
The heels are raised by a false floor that also contains electronic modules, and the carbon fiber bucket seat can be reclined to achieve a position more similar to that of the AMR23 single-seater, while still offering the comfort of a road car. This helps maintain a low roofline and ensures the driver feels truly connected to the car.
Aerodynamics
The combined experience of AMPT and Aston Martin aerodynamic specialists, both in road cars and Formula 1, gives the brand the opportunity to create addictive cars with the perfect combination of luxury and performance. A quick look at the underbody of the AMR23 and those of the Valhalla, where most of its downforce is generated, illustrates how much F1 technology has been incorporated into the new supercar.
Valhalla’s aerodynamic approach starts off similar to that of an F1 car®using all the elements of the body to generate downforce and minimize drag.
However, the Valhalla is not limited by F1 rules, so it can benefit from fully active aerodynamic systems at both the front and rear, which will generate more than 600 kg of downforce at a speed of 240 km/h.
This way the Valhalla can constantly adapt front and rear downforce to maximize grip, balance and consistency; or reduce the resistance depending on the situation and the selected driving mode. This allows drivers to get the best out of the Valhalla’s chassis and tires across the car’s full range of performance.
Like the AMR23 racing car, the Valhalla has front and rear spoilers made up of multiple elements, although the front one is hidden from view and can be flat in the DRS position to reduce aerodynamic drag or tilted upwards to generate enormous downforce. directly in front of the front wheels.
Behind the front splitter the underfloor surface is concave, creating a low pressure zone that generates additional downforce. Again, this feature can be controlled as part of the vehicle’s active control algorithms.
The rear wing is flat to shape the car’s beautiful, clean lines, while generating a basic level of downforce with minimal drag. However, in circuit mode it is raised to maximize its effectiveness.
The car actively manages the angle of attack of the wing to continuously balance maximum downforce and DRS, in order to maximize performance.
Inspired by the vortex generators and aerodynamic characteristics of F1®the small slotted grilles on the side sills, just in front of the rear wheels, act as mini diffusers to extract and raise airflow from under the car, increasing downforce.
An air intake on the roof feeds both the engine intake – just like in F1 and the cooling ducts for the turbo intercoolers and to cool the Hot-V configuration of the engine.
The extensive knowledge of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel testing of F1, together with AMPT, have been enormously useful for the Valhalla engineers, for which the same techniques have been used as in the AMR23.
The Valhalla engineering team, working directly with AMPT, has used the same CFD software as the AMF1 team, including applications for model tuning.
As in Formula 1, the development team has used a scale model and a mobile wind tunnel to develop the car, studying the same processes, such as body height sensitivity, yaw effects, roll and pitch, steering, etc.
Materials
AMPT and the AMF1 team have been building carbon fiber cars for many years, so there is very little they don’t understand regarding materials. Although the idea of building 999 carbon fiber monocoques will be a novelty for a team used to building just a few cars per season.
AMPT’s carbon technologies team is working on developing ideas that evolved in F1 and applying the same approach to Valhalla. This has been very beneficial in areas such as stiffness simulation and crashworthiness testing, where great benefits can be gained by identifying any vulnerabilities before the destructive crash testing process begins.
The Valhalla’s heart structure is designed to maximize rigidity with minimal weight, ensuring maximum control with millimeter precision. Designed and manufactured by AMPT, which applies its highly specialized F1 experience and technical capabilities beyond the pinnacle of motorsport, the Valhalla structure is the product of cutting-edge composite technology.
The Valhalla’s carbon structure, a complex and exquisite blend of carbon fiber materials, has been created using a novel patented technology developed for Aston Martin. The upper and lower sections of the frame are molded in carbon fiber using a combination of the resin transfer molding (RTM) process and autoclave technology derived from F1.
The result is a unique, immensely rigid, strong and lightweight cabin that offers best-in-class dynamic structural attributes and outstanding safety, without compromising driver and passenger ergonomics.
The Valhalla is at the forefront of Aston Martin’s transition from internal combustion to electrification. The performance has been optimized and the efficiency of the Valhalla’s twin-turbo flat-plane V8 engine has been optimized – the most advanced, responsive and highest-performing V8 ever fitted to an Aston Martin. Combined with three electric motors, the result is a 1,012 HP four-wheel drive hybrid propulsion system.
Two electric motors on the front axle allow the Valhalla not only to have four-wheel drive, but also completely independent control of the torque applied to each of the front wheels, a technique known as “torque vectoring” or active torque vectoring. . Torque Vectoring allows for more effective steering response when cornering, greater grip when cornering, and improved traction when exiting corners.
This improves the driving experience and performance in all phases of driving. The front electric motors also provide the reverse function, saving weight on the rear drive. A third electric motor is integrated into the transmission and provides additional power to the rear wheels, as well as acting as a starter/generator for the internal combustion engine.
Carlo Della Casa, Product Development Director at Aston Martin, states: “The knowledge and experience of the AMF1 team staff at Aston Martin Performance Technologies, combined with the skills and know-how of our road car development teams, has enabled us to allowed to bring F1 knowledge directly® to the development of sports cars.
Our goal for Valhalla is to produce a supercar that sets best-in-class standards for performance, dynamics and driving pleasure. The Valhalla will use active technologies to reduce the gap between the “gentlemen driver” and the professional on the track. Having open access to the knowledge of the AMF1 team has been a great advantage for us when developing this incredible car.”
The first prototype will hit the road later this year and the Valhalla will enter production in 2024.
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