Flexi wings 2015

Here are our CFD links and discussions about aerodynamics, suspension, driver safety and tyres. Please stick to F1 on this forum.
User avatar
bdr529
59
Joined: 08 Apr 2011, 19:49
Location: Canada

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

Blanchimont wrote:Bluebreasted Toro

http://gfycat.com/NeedySpectacularBlueb ... kookaburra
Thank You very much Blanchemont, I really wouldn't have a clue how to make that gif thing

wesley123
wesley123
204
Joined: 23 Feb 2008, 17:55

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

Sevach wrote:It specifically says Toyota wing, aka WEC champions, were the others in on it too?
Porsche had the flick-ups at the rear end of the bodywork flexing, but after it was noticed in the pre-test they put in a small plate to prevent flexing.
"Bite my shiny metal ass" - Bender

Blanchimont
Blanchimont
214
Joined: 09 Nov 2012, 23:47

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

With a comment sung by Christian H.: https://vid.me/y2sc
Dear FIA, if you read this, please pm me for a redesign of the Technical Regulations to avoid finger nose shapes for 2016! :-)

xDama
xDama
2
Joined: 10 Jun 2009, 16:51

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

Nothing new... The wings have been flexing for years now, and definitively not only with RBR. I remember that the '14 Williams had a similar amount of flexing on the FW, like the RBR.

If you look at the construction of the FW, you can understand why the flaps are flexing though. Almost no mounting points are on the inside of the flaps.
"I race to win, and if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you're no longer a racing driver." - Ayrton Senna

Earnard Beccelstone
Earnard Beccelstone
0
Joined: 15 Feb 2010, 02:49

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

Its not just flexing but compressing. :shock:

It looks like the whole wing flap structure is pressing down on itself. The mainplane/bottom of the wing appears to be relatively rigid, but the wing elements appear to be squeezed downwards by the air pressure as speed increases.

Very different from, say, the RedBull in 2010 or 2012, when the whole front wing appeared to be drooping/pivoting to a lower reference plane.

Was this what got RB excluded from qualifying at Abu Double? I think I've mentally boycotted that race and everything involved with it.

User avatar
megz
1
Joined: 14 Mar 2007, 09:57
Location: New Zealand

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

Juzh wrote:Malaysian onboard highlights:
PART 1
https://vimeo.com/123728744
PART 2
https://vimeo.com/123725822

This one is an absolute must watch. Non stop action. Quality is a bit iffy in 1st part, 2nd part is a bit better.
This was posted in the New Videos thread - I've only looked at part 2 but you can see Mercedes' front wing doesn't move anything like this. I'm looking for a similar view from a different team to see if there is any comparative flex. Around the 5 minute mark there is a good shot of Rosberg following Vettel and there is a small amount of flex but ultimately nothing like the Toro Rosso.

At around the 6 minute mark there is some footage from the T cam of the Toro Rosso and it looks like there is an amount of flex across the entire front wing but I don't think it's out of the ordinary.

Around 16min 30sec there's comparative footage of the Williams, again, some flex but not to the extent of the STR.

BanMeToo
BanMeToo
6
Joined: 27 Dec 2013, 16:26
Location: USA

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

xDama wrote:Nothing new... The wings have been flexing for years now, and definitively not only with RBR. I remember that the '14 Williams had a similar amount of flexing on the FW, like the RBR.
I was just about to post a similar comment.

R_Redding
R_Redding
54
Joined: 30 Nov 2011, 14:22

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

The top 2 inner element tips of the Williams were doing the same last year.

It would be interesting to see where the y-250 vortex moves to when the 2 upper elements that are used to create it, move downward under load.

Does the vortex move downward , sideways , is it cancelled out as the tips crush down ?...

As nothing accidental happens in F1 these days ...it may be some form of drag/downforce shedding ploy in that when loaded , the y-250 vortex moves downward,outward of the car,rather than wrapping around the bargeboards and onto the rear of the car on the straights.

PorscheLMp1Fan
PorscheLMp1Fan
7
Joined: 24 Apr 2014, 19:57

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

Sevach wrote:It specifically says Toyota wing, aka WEC champions, were the others in on it too?
No just Toyota had this system, and it was banned after LM.

mkable1370
mkable1370
4
Joined: 14 Nov 2013, 22:29

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

R_Redding wrote:The top 2 inner element tips of the Williams were doing the same last year.

It would be interesting to see where the y-250 vortex moves to when the 2 upper elements that are used to create it, move downward under load.

Does the vortex move downward , sideways , is it cancelled out as the tips crush down ?...

As nothing accidental happens in F1 these days ...it may be some form of drag/downforce shedding ploy in that when loaded , the y-250 vortex moves downward,outward of the car,rather than wrapping around the bargeboards and onto the rear of the car on the straights.
If teams are now designing the wing elements to flex downward in a predictable manner to achieve specific aerodynamic benefits, such as moving the y-250 vortex to a more favorable position, etc., how does this not run afoul of the regulations on movable aerodynamic devices?

n_anirudh
n_anirudh
28
Joined: 25 Jul 2008, 02:43

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.ph ... 0awareness
Front wing flexing is a topic that's never far from the headlines in Formula 1, and from the Canadian Grand Prix another loophole has been closed by the FIA.

This latest rules clarification applies to the front wing flaps that have been clearly deflecting at speed.

Up until now the front wing flap angle has not been subject to a specific test and thus open to differing interpretations by the teams.

It's been evident all season that a number of teams have had deflecting front wing flaps and in a few cases the cascade winglets too.

Clearly due to the huge aero load created by the front wing, it's not practical to make an infinitely stiff wing.

While there's a general prescription of flexible bodywork by the FIA the current rules only apply deflection to the front wing at the endplates to detect droop or twisting of the main wing structure.

But we have seen from the nose-mounted onboard cameras that the flaps flatten out at speed, only to spring back up under braking, as speed and thus the aero load reduces.

This is different from the Abu Dhabi penalty metered out to Red Bull last year, where the front flap adjuster allowed for an extreme amount of flexing, although the wing structure itself was clearly stiff.

Teams are able to tailor the wing's structure to create a deliberate deflection of the flap.

This can be used to alter the car's balance at speed and also to reduce drag, which cannot be achieved with more rigid wings that would require a compromise elsewhere in the car's set-up.

The FIA's most recent technical directive applies a new test. Along the trailing edge of the flap, a 60N load is applied and the wing must deflect no more than 3mm.

While the 60N load is not significant in relation to the actual wing loadings, this will at least force every team to review its front wing stiffness.

It's hard to imagine any team will be able run its old wings in unmodified form, which is not to say every team has illegal wings, merely they are not designed to accept the point loads that are to be introduced in Canada.

Many teams will introduce low-downforce front wing flaps specifically for Canada anyway, and this FIA change may force some to rush through modified parts for this race.

As with any technical advantage that is countered by new rules, teams may seek to circumvent the specific test with designs to recreate the effect in a different way.

It's possible with the proposed new test being applied to the trailing edge of the flap, a team may instead deflect the leading edge of the wing, closing the slot gap and stalling the wing.

This is not as effective as the flattening of the wing, but - usefully - it's far harder to detect from onboard video or photographs.

When F1 returns to higher downforce circuits, the onboard footage will need to be reviewed to see if the new ruling is effective and the 60N loading is sufficient to prevent teams purposely flexing their front wings.

Although there's an advantage to be gained with these wing designs, it's unlikely the new test will alter the teams' pace relative to each other.

trinidefender
trinidefender
317
Joined: 19 Apr 2013, 20:37

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

My prediction is now teams will separate the mounting points for the top flap and flaps below it. They will make it so that the top flap is attached to the main plane and will only deflect enough to pass the deflection tests. The flaps below will have their own mounting points which will deflect just that same as before. As they deflect the slot gap between that flap and the stiff one above it will open up to much, maybe enough to cause it to stall. The reduction in AoA on the lower flaps will also reduce drag. Granted this solution is not as good as he current one employed by almost every team but it is better than nothing.

I could be totally wrong as to what teams do but this is just one way I can see a team try to circumvent the rules.

User avatar
Mr.G
34
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 22:52
Location: Slovakia

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

Nice loophole will be create another top most mini flap and make it rigid to pass the test and let the rest flexible as before as the test will test only the top most :)
Art without engineering is dreaming. Engineering without art is calculating. Steven K. Roberts

n_anirudh
n_anirudh
28
Joined: 25 Jul 2008, 02:43

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

The FIA's most recent technical directive applies a new test. Along the trailing edge of the flap, a 60N load is applied and the wing must deflect no more than 3mm.
Is the load applied to all the flaps? or just the last one? Is it a point load or a distributed load?<Forgive my naiveity>

j2004p
j2004p
7
Joined: 31 Mar 2010, 18:22

Re: Flexi wings 2015

Post

n_anirudh wrote:
The FIA's most recent technical directive applies a new test. Along the trailing edge of the flap, a 60N load is applied and the wing must deflect no more than 3mm.
Is the load applied to all the flaps? or just the last one? Is it a point load or a distributed load?<Forgive my naiveity>
I would imagine (given the gaps) that it would be difficult to apply a load to anything other than the top element