F-duct
05-03-2010, 10:24 AM
#1
Burning Brakes
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F-duct
Does anybody understand the purpose of this new found gadget in F1? I have yet to find a good explanation of what it does besides giving the McLaren cars a 6mph advantage on the strait. It seems like this years big diffuser issue like last year.
05-03-2010, 11:26 AM
#2
Racer
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Simple -
It picks up air from a high-pressure zone on the car (in front of the cockpit), and channels it thru the car's bodywork, and dumps it onto the rear aero device ("the wing"), destroying the regular airflow over the wing, which limits the downforce developed.
Don't need much "downforce" from the aero devices when moving in a straight line...since it takes horsepower to push those aero devices thru the air. So...F-duct takes in air & screws up the airflow over the rear wing when in a straight line, but gets blocked when cornering when you DO need the downforce.
Does that make sense ?
It picks up air from a high-pressure zone on the car (in front of the cockpit), and channels it thru the car's bodywork, and dumps it onto the rear aero device ("the wing"), destroying the regular airflow over the wing, which limits the downforce developed.
Don't need much "downforce" from the aero devices when moving in a straight line...since it takes horsepower to push those aero devices thru the air. So...F-duct takes in air & screws up the airflow over the rear wing when in a straight line, but gets blocked when cornering when you DO need the downforce.
Does that make sense ?
05-03-2010, 11:35 AM
#3
Race Director
I would add that the point is not to decrease the downforce on the straights, but to decrease the DRAG on the straights. I find that to be the fascinating part.
It is easy to stall a wing, or orient it so that it doesn't create downforce, but stalling a wing still creates drag. They have apparently found a way to basically just make the wing (aerodynamically) disappear by feeding it air from a different area.
It is easy to stall a wing, or orient it so that it doesn't create downforce, but stalling a wing still creates drag. They have apparently found a way to basically just make the wing (aerodynamically) disappear by feeding it air from a different area.
05-03-2010, 11:39 AM
#4
Le Mans Master
I would add that the point is not to decrease the downforce on the straights, but to decrease the DRAG on the straights. I find that to be the fascinating part.
It is easy to stall a wing, or orient it so that it doesn't create downforce, but stalling a wing still creates drag. They have apparently found a way to basically just make the wing (aerodynamically) disappear by feeding it air from a different area.
It is easy to stall a wing, or orient it so that it doesn't create downforce, but stalling a wing still creates drag. They have apparently found a way to basically just make the wing (aerodynamically) disappear by feeding it air from a different area.
05-03-2010, 12:00 PM
#7
Melting Slicks
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