Flexi wings 2015

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chuckdanny
chuckdanny
69
Joined: 11 Feb 2012, 11:04

Re: Flexi wings 2015

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I think though that there is no stalling going on, it just reduce the ratio of the front diffuser which then work the wing less hard.

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turbof1
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Joined: 19 Jul 2012, 21:36
Location: MountDoom CFD Matrix

Re: Flexi wings 2015

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Something Trinidefender thought me: The flexing indeed looks localized in the upper flaps, but you have to project this on how the camber of the overall wing changes:
Image

In the above picture I drew 5 aerofoils making up one single front wing. The first 3 elements from right to left are considered main plane elements and shouldn't be considered to flex. The last 2 elements are the upper flaps. I drew 2 scenario's, the one below is in normal state, while the above has the upper flaps flexing.

If we draw a red line around all of the elements in the shape of one big aerofoil, one can notice that the upper front wing has less camber and less AoA. This wing will both produce less downforce, but will also work more consistently on higher speeds (it is less prone to stall). This will give higher top speeds along better stability.

Stalling is a fickle thing: you don't want your wing stalling right in the middle of a high speed corner. In a corner like Pouhon (Spa Francorchamps) that'll guarantee lead to a trip off the circuit. Reducing overall camber is a better idea since the wing will probably stop producing more downforce the faster you go, but will not stall and drop the downforce away.

We've seen in the past with things like passive stalling systems that the point of stalling is very difficult to control. I think this is ironically a safer solution then when teams are forced to actually move to flexing the wing to stall it. The FIA should have been more considerate on that front.
#AeroFrodo

chuckdanny
chuckdanny
69
Joined: 11 Feb 2012, 11:04

Re: Flexi wings 2015

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I agree.

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

Re: Flexi wings 2015

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Ok I read here: http://en.f1i.com/magazine/13520-the-fi ... fness.html that the rule says that the 60N force can be placed at the trailing edge of any wing flap. This means my earlier idea is out.

My only other idea still involves moving the mounting points of each flap. The mounting points will be arranged so that as aero load increases each flap will bend to its maximum while still being within the 3mm with a 60N force test. When I say each flap will bend think of it more as twisting if you are looking from at side view. As the flaps bends/twist it opens up the slot gaps between each flap. This opening of the slot gap increases airflow to the low pressure side of the wing and reduces its pressure gradient and henceforth reduces downforce and drag.

Just a note, when we talk about front wings flexing to reduce drag there is also a secondary and probably almost as important function. High speed stability. At low speed, drivers generally prefer a pointy car. I.e. a car with lots of front end grip and good turn in. On the aero front this is achieved through the use of high front wing angles and consequentially lots of front downforce. As a car speeds up for fast corners and especially for stability under braking, drivers tend to prefer more rearward biased downforce. So with these wings as the front wing flexes and sheds downforce as you accelerate it helps to move the centre of pressure of the downforce rearward helping the car with high speed stability and stability under braking. I think with these new tests the setup of cars will have to be more compromised. In layman's terms, to a driver the car may not feel to have as much bite or be as quick on the turn in at low speeds and at high speeds the cars might feel more fidgety under braking and unsettling corners.

P.s. I'm not sure on the reliability of the article.