Performance is in the detail - materials & processing in Mercedes F1 power units

Coventry & Warwickshire Materials Society (CWMS) is pleased to announce their May lecture, run in association with the IMechE Warwickshire area, which will be delivered by Stephen Edge, Senior Materials Engineer for Mercedes High Performance Powertrains and is entitled 'Performance is in the detail - materials and processing in Mercedes F1 Power Units'.

Stephen is an experienced metallurgical and processing engineer with an MSc in Advanced Materials from Cranfield University and, following 26 years working in aluminium R&D, has recently combined the technically advanced world of Aerospace with the fast-paced development world of Automotive, meeting the challenges faced by the materials engineering team at Mercedes HPP, Brixworth.  His work has entailed developing components with engineers as well as characterising and introducing new materials and processes to the powertrain. When the engineering challenges have occurred, he has spent countless hours staring down microscopes at fracture surfaces.  As well as powertrains of the championship winning Formula 1 team, he has also worked with the Formula E team and on the Project 1 Hypercar. 

Abstract:  Formula 1 is the ultimate team sport, involving over 1000 diversely talented and driven people, being publicly tested on track, every other weekend.
At Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP), the materials engineering team collaborate with many departments, suppliers and engineers. This allows them to successfully utilise a wide variety of materials and processes on the power unit, often developed to high levels of detail under time pressure, such are the demands of Formula 1.
Key challenges for a materials engineer include defining materials, measuring properties, controlling manufacturing processes and conducting detailed failure investigations. The one thing required to successfully engineer a modern Formula 1 engine in the quest for “More, Reliable Power” is rigorous attention to detail.

The lecture will be delivered at the GE Power Conference Centre, Newbold Road, Rugby, CV21 2NH but you are welcome to join online.  Booking is essential, whether attending in person or online, and spaces at the conference centre are limited.  Please register using the Book now button at the top of this page.