Renault R31

[manchild]

Perhaps they use exhaust(s) positioned at the front as virtual skirts?

I mean, since volume and speed and exhaust gasses is mush faster than speed of car, perhaps the gasses could prevent spilling of airstream sideways? Having them spilled sideways would be no loss since they need to go somewhere anyway, and if they could at least partially seal the space between stepped floor and the longitudinal outline of the floor (at least at the beginning of the floor), than the air traveling below the floor would be less spilled, right?

I mean like these small vertical fins on top of airplane wing that serve for same purpose, only "virtual" since floor must be skirt-less, flat that is.

[scuderiafan]

I noticed that little piece in the center of the rear wing, has someone gone over that?

[FerFa]

...should be the connection for the wing switch, no?

My theory about the front exhaust is, that we only can see air inlets, but not the exhaust outlets. The exhaust outlets will be under the car. With increasing speed the air pressure into the angular inlets increases. This leads to a somehow different stream of the exhaust air trough under-body and diffusor. This is a "F-duct like exhaust stream bender", creating more down-force on the rear suspension at high exhaust pressure but low speed and less at high speed with low exhaust pressure.

Brilliant...

[mx_tifoso]

BTW, these calipers seam unusual, as they seam to cover almost 50% of the disc.

[img]http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/5476/new14c.jpg[img]

The calipers are surrounded by cf molding, as per the usual brake system cover but just extended out that far. IMO.

They are coolings ducts which bring air from the drum plenum on the inboard side of the disc out and over the disc onto the outboard side of the caliper.

Right on, I should have specified more. Thanks for adding to my bit though.

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/5476/new14c.jpg

Why is the caliper not at the bottom?

Maybe worth your while:
F1T - Position of a caliper

[humble sabot]

I noticed that little piece in the center of the rear wing, has someone gone over that?

Not that i know of. It took me a bit to see it clearly as well. probably just a flow straightener.

the exhaust problem has me puzzled now. i'm just not seeing enough exit area on the car for cooling and exhaust. maybe they really are doing something clever.

[raymondu999]

THe thing on the wing is the ARW actuator I believe. Maybe some flow-vis would help us spot those exhausts during the testing over the next few days

[Michiba]

Perhaps they use exhaust(s) positioned at the front as virtual skirts?

I mean, since volume and speed and exhaust gasses is mush faster than speed of car, perhaps the gasses could prevent spilling of airstream sideways? Having them spilled sideways would be no loss since they need to go somewhere anyway, and if they could at least partially seal the space between stepped floor and the longitudinal outline of the floor (at least at the beginning of the floor), than the air traveling below the floor would be less spilled, right?

I mean like these small vertical fins on top of airplane wing that serve for same purpose, only "virtual" since floor must be skirt-less, flat that is.

that would seem reasonable. Wasn't that one of the functions of the wheel fairings anyway? This would be a new way to do it.

[mike]

maybe just running abit of EGR???
it saves fuel and have better part load efficiency, they will need direction injection to maximize stratified burning, which is not that unlikely?

[Formula None]

There does seem to be something going on at the front corners of the floor.





Seems a bit thick through this section:




Hmmm... Zoom. Rotate. Enhance...







Well, well, well, what have we here?

I was thinking along the same lines as manchild, create a separation between low and high pressure zones w/ a vortex initiated by the exhaust exiting the front of the floor. If not that, I don't suppose there's any benefit to funneling it along the radius where the top of the floor and the sidepod join together, is there?

[Metal]

You guys are all over technical here and im very ignorant in that field.

I would like to do a slight OT, just a question, i read that Renault declared that the R31 has already more downforce than R30, at this stage of development, even without the double diffuser and the f-duct. I read also that Mclaren stated they want to reach at the end of the season the same amount of downforce as they had at the end of last year's.

Does that mean we have a winner here? The difference would be pretty big in downforce levels.

[FrukostScones]

yes, I m sure it is a winner!

But this year will be extreme, predictions are so difficult.

[Formula None]

I'm not sure how they could be getting more downforce without the DDD, but I too would like to hear ideas for how to do so. Witchcraft is not specifically outlawed this year, so maybe Max held a seance with the team back during winter solstice.

[kilcoo316]

It is accurate enough, I've done it Granted, the simulation may not have been perfect, but the work ensured that no bodywork nor rubber overheated.

You did numerical simulations?

How did you validate them?

[creedbratton]

There does seem to be something going on at the front corners of the floor.
[

Isn't that part of the side impact structure?

[Formula None]

You are probably right, the upper side crash structure is inline with the side blade and the lower one, it follows, would be directly below somewhere.



However I'm more interested in what that gap in the bodywork is for, inboard of the blade and hidden by the turning vane in most of the photos. I'm betting its this rumored front exhaust exit. If not, I'll change my name to Formula Nun, if the mods will let me. High stakes!