It has to be said, that the 2017 Formula 1 season has been a season draped with action. So much so that, we have a new protagonist alongside Lewis Hamilton, which has to be said, the most dominant driver of this new hybrid era of single seater F1 racing.
This resurgence of Ferrari has given us a classic so far, Ferrari vs Mercedes, which even of the track has given us a lot to talk about. But people who know me will know my love for Engineering, and for the purpose of this article, I will be doing just that. Let's take a look at the unique technical designs of 2017, shall we?
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| Pic: Craig Scarborough |
Ever since low noses were brought into the technical regulations, that year being 2014, teams have tried several ways to improve flow efficiency and blockage at the nose's tip. The main outcome here is to maximise as much flow to the underside of the car. There have been numerous attempts at achieving that net outcome: for example, back where the regulations were released, teams applied a finger-like tip to the first FIA regulatory box, which meant teams gained back some of the advantages the high-nose had. Thankfully this avenue was not brought forward in the next batch of regulations and thus gave us more aesthetically pleasing race cars.
One team to run a new concept in 2017, who's nose is quite a neat solution was Force India. Thier design incorporates two holes either side of the nose tip. But where this idea really shines is that from any viewing angle, you cannot see directly through them, making it a legal design. I did think this idea would catch on but seems it hasn't.
For the 2017 season, Red Bull Racing has gone down its own path in this area of regulations. The RB13 sports a small inlet on the nose tip, which after further investigation, it appeared to allow air to pass through, with eight small vanes to make the design legal to race.
This design is more interesting than meets the eye, as the duct allows air to pass straight through, but also it is able to move the flow up the underside of the nose. The car also uses an S-duct which helps reduce the high-pressure flow under the nose, by bleeding the boundary layer to the upper part of the chassis.
Beyond the nose concept, the RB13 remains quite conservative with the aero surfaces. Speaking to a senior engineer on the matter, they believe that, that lies in the car's philosophy.
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| Pic: Craig Scarborough |
Mercedes Chimney
During pre-season testing in Spain, Mercedes caused quite a stir when the sheets on the W08 were pulled away to the public and media. As shown above, the WO8 appears to have a vented section which runs along the lip of the engine cover, thus giving the name 'the chimney'. A common mistake is that people believe this is entirely new, but that would be false. As this style of the vent was seen in the early 2000's, where teams like Sauber or McLaen mounted ducts like this to the leading edges of the side pods. This was down to the tight nature of the regulations which did not permit many cooling vents.
The reason why they are a good idea is that they are much more efficient, an engineer's favourite word I find, and I agree. Back to the point, These vent's are mainly in areas of flow sensitive body work, so my mounting one of these almost hidden vents, turbulent flow is somewhat reduced.
In Mercedes's case, the 2017 rear wing regulations, of which are lower, has meant Mercedes found this small window, in which can vent some of the temperatures given off my the mechanical side under the body. With the mainplane lower, this flow exiting the car shouldn't get in the way of the wing, thus not compromising downforce levels.
It is unclear to what Mercedes are venting here, but my best estimate would auxiliary cooler, which from research sits fairly high of Mercedes-powered performance cars. This would likely cool the MGU-H. It is believed Ferrari have something similar.
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| Pic: Craig Scarborough |
The rear mounted fins that hang of the back of the engine covers are not new to Formula 1 cars. However, the 2017 regulations brought a small loophole, what which Mercedes found, thus seeing the rest of the field follow.
This loophole is a 50mm wide strip along the car's centerline (25mm either side of the line) which has now been used to enhance the car's performance. As seen in the image above on the Sauber, the T-wing is made up of aerofoils, so produce downforce in their own right. This is done by inverting the ratio of 'drag to lift', something that is so crucial to making these F1 cars work. And as found out by Williams, who run three aerofoils, there is no limit to how many you can run unless the structural integrity is not met, then the FIA will step in.
As with all aero surfaces, dorsal fins also have a major impact on the overall performance of the race car. In one basket, they do indeed provide some effect in conditioning the flow to the rear wing. In other words, reducing the turbulent wake given off my the some of the aerodynamic elements placed at the front or side of the car.
But after speaking to a senior engineer in the aerodynamic field, there use lies deeper than that. In vehicle dynamics, yaw is the enemy of any engineer, so when the car is sliding on entry, team's will do anything they can to prevent this.
The fins play a vital role in pressure difference. Although dependant of where the wind is blowing, it will create a high-pressure region, thus pushing that part of the car down. But when the cars are mid-way through the corner, the fin becomes cambered, thus providing even more rearward downforce. But as I was told, this area can be a sensitive area to offset the overall balance of the car.
This is one of the very reasons we see this fin's on prototype race cars, as the high-pressure area prevents these cars from flipping under high-speed yaw. This can be noted in the 2016 Silverstone 6h WEC race as well as every NASCAR race with the flaps mounted on the outer bodywork. Let's just hope the FIA don't ban them, as I'm quite a fan of T-Wings and dorsal fins.
I hope you enjoyed the post!
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