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Silicone Hoses: Coming to an F1 track near you today
When watching the high speeds and exhilaration of Formula 1 it’s very easy to forget the engineering that goes into the cars that you watch, from the dazzling heights of Red Bull & Mercedes, to Saab & Williams. How materials such as aluminium tubes and silicone hoses can be used, creating a drastic impact on the performance of the cars, and ultimately the performance of the team in the standings.
Silicone Hoses:
Silicone hoses are commonly used by many teams for the benefits they offer over steel. They have an extreme resistance too high temperatures allowing teams to run coolants under hotter temperatures and higher pressures, consequently allowing for the teams to push the engines harder for that competitive advantage.
Being flexible and very resistant to damage also allows them to be routed in a more optimal path while resisting tearing and damage from external sources, this reliability is useful for motorsport teams, as they are less likely to require pitting to fix issues or replace hoses, costing them valuable time.
However, despite this due to them being porous they cannot be used to for fuel and oil as the fluid would be absorbed and leak which would cause all manner of problems, so depending on their use case they are not always the best option to go for.
Aluminium Hoses:
Aluminium is also another material commonly used for hoses in motorsport usually in place of steel hoses and pipes. They’re lightweight being roughly 1/3rd the weight of a similar shaped steel hose presents an extreme weight-saving technique in a sport where every lost KG counts massively, so being able to shave that much weight off a vehicle presents a key advantage for a team.
The material is also incredibly strong and durable thanks to its malleability allowing it to flex and bend under pressures and heavy loads as well as bounce back with surprising ease allowing it to remain a solid and durable choice throughout the race as it progresses.
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