I know that there are many F1 fans surfing this interesting site and not all of them are keen with the technical side of F1, im not an expert, there are many out there on this site that are able to teach you on F1 than me but I want my restricted knowledge to be shared with you, the aim of this site is to everyone learn from each other. Enjoy.
For a large group of people in Formula 1, racing is quite literally a breath of fresh air. So much so, in fact, that air is all they think about, day in day out. The story of their very special “aerotic” obsession follows, a journey into the fast-flowing field of aerodynamics.
The ability of racing cars to corner at such speeds is not some freak accident of nature but the outcome of the single-minded application of motorsport’s aerodynamics experts. Their sole and main aim in their lives is to channel the way the air flows around a car in the most efficient way possible, using every conceivable technique and the full scope of the F1 regulations to glean the optimum downforce that makes a winning car.
• Downforce is the aerodynamic downward pressure produced by a combination of vacuum created beneath the floor of the car and the set-up of the front and rear wings. The more downforce a racing car has, the greater its grip on the track.
The best way to describe downforce is with reference to the opposite lift. The forces which lift a jumbo jet into the air, given sufficient acceleration, are generated by the shape of the wings which cut through the air as the aircraft moves forward. By the end of the 1960’s motorsport engineers had learned to apply the reverse principle to Formula 1 cars, with Lotus leading the way. Until then, the cars had simply been streamlined in the interests of maximum speeds. Now, for the first time, aerodynamic techniques were being used to influence the handling of the cars, as well.
In effect, downforce equates to negative lift- and that is exactly what the car experiences. The wing settings at the front and rear press the car down onto the track, the downforce is acting on all 4 wheels. The power of this force is such that, amazingly, a Formula 1 car could theoretically defy gravity and drive upside down along the ceiling of a tunnel, or more understandable loop the loop like a Scalectrix racer. The first topsy-turvy Grand Prix could begin the moment the cars generate a level of downforce equivalent to their own weight.
The key to success in motor racing business is the aerodynamics efficiency of the car. This is defined as the ratio of downforce to aerodynamic drag (air resistance). The aim is to obtain maximum grip and minimum drag. One of the characteristics of today’s generation of F1 cars is a certain lack of stability on entering a corner. This translates into understeer around the apex of the corner and oversteer as the car exits the curve. Anytime during a GP weekend engineers faces this problem, it is a basic headache .Building a fast car means reducing the shits in balance and making the car’s handling through the corner as possible.
Aerodynamics in F1 is a science in its own right. It’ all a question of keeping the downforce as stable as possible in every area. In wind tunnels where the aerodynamics engineers practice their own “aerotic” arts, this eminently desirable state of affairs is often achieved- assuming their fundamental calculations were correct. However, actual practice is the ultimate test when it comes to designing racing cars, and the different characteristics of the individual circuits frequently make a mockery of even the most thorough theoretically groundwork . So to avoid design errors, the teams embark upon intensive test programmes. 3-D simulation generated by powerful design computers facilitate their work with wind tunnel models. Only when this is complete are the prototypes rolled out onto the track.
• The first component to have a significant effect on the aerodynamic stability of a racing car is the front wing. This is the element responsible for determining the rate and direction of the airflow over, under and around the rest of the car- to the radiators and rear wing for example. Which brings us to a problem, for whilst the radiators prefer turbulent air, the rear wing likes its air nice and smooth. Then there is the crucial matter of generating the ideal airflow to the airbox-the air intake opening for the engine-which can gain or lose the teams up to 20 horsepower. At the front wing, the individual airstreams are directed by the mainplane located underneath the nosecone of the car; an aerofoil flap either side of the nose; thin carbon-fibre strips known as Gurneys; low, lateral barge boards; and two endplates. All of these parts must be fixed in place.
Touch different sections of the flaps and you can feel ewhat kind of airflow they are designed to produce. Some areas present a rough surface to generate the turbulence that the radiators requires, while the smoothed, polished areas guide the air up over the roll-over bar to feed a smoother flow to the rear wing. In addition to distributing the oncoming air, the front wing is also shaped to handle the vital task of generating downforce to press the front of the car onto the track. In effect, the performance of the whole car, and more particularly its handling characteristics, hinge on the filigree design and set-up of the front wing. Today, even the front suspension struts are streamlined and used to aerodynamic effect. Just how sensitive the front wing can be is highlighted when the driver moves up close behind the car in front. The turbulent air in the slipstream can reduce the effect of the front wing by as much as 30%- another reason why it’s so hard to overtake in Formula 1.
• Small adjustments to the front wing have a major effect on the car as a whole Seen in isolation, the rear wing, by contrast, is not quite as significant-not least on account of its location on the car, As part of the overall picture, though, the rear wing assembly- nowadays restricted by regulations to just 2 elements(instead of 3: before the 2004 season)- does have an important part to play. Each race brings new versions and variations, demonstrating how the drive for maximum aerodynamic efficiency has risen to the front line in the Formula 1 struggle for supremacy. As if battling against each other and the forces of nature were not enough for the teams to think about, the authorities (FIA) are forever introducing new restrictions to reign in the speed of the cars. And year after year, the aerodynamics experts counter with modifications which ratchet up efficiency another notch.
By adjusting the wing set-up, the teams can regulate the grip of the car to match the characteristics of each individual track and the constant downforce generated by the chassis. As a role of thumb, the steeper the angle of the wing, the greater the aerodynamic drag and the greater the downforce acting on the car as its speeds increases. At the same time, a steep wing set-p will always take the edge off the car’s speed and increase its fuel consumption. Of course, with racetracks serving up both straights and corners, a compromise is called for. Circuits with long high-speed straights are talked with rear wing as flat as possible in order to keep drag to minimum. While on twisting courses the teams use a steeper rear-wing setting, pressing the car harder onto the track and allowing higher cornering speeds.
Finding a solution to the eternal conflicts in the science of aerodynamics is a complex and demanding process. The problems are exacerbated in GP racing where every 2 weeks a new optimum set-up has to be found to suit a fresh set of circumstances. Just how far apart the ideal set-ups can lie is indicated by the top speeds at different tracks-over 350kph at Monza, compared to “just” 580kph in Monaco. It is a contrast reflected in the downforce produced on these 2 showpiece circuits: 1,500kg on the Cote d’Azur, as against 830kg in the royal park at Monza. To complicate matters, the same scale of fluctuations also applies to aerodynamic drag.
The fine art of the men who make up the F1 “air force” lies in striking the right balance. While low downforce at the front makes for higher speeds, it also increases the likelihood of understeer -when the front end of the cars starts to slide towards the outside of the corner. Insufficient downforce at the rear, by contrast, will give the car a tendency to oversteer, with the rear end starting to slide. One third of a F1 car’s grip is built up at the front and the other two thirds at the rear wheels. The crucial thing is that this distribution does not shift dramatically in either direction under braking or acceleration , or else the car is heading for nasty case of either “ power-oversteer” or “power-understeer”.
Basically, where you apply more downforce depends on the design of your car. As we seen in previous seasons some teams opted for more downforce at the rear, while others looked to generate more at the front (Ferrari and McLaren respectively). I found a quotation from Adrian Newey’s golden words on aerodynamics that states that: ‘It’s all about creating a balance between the downforce at the rear and the position of it’s CoG. That’s the basic idea. You only really want more downforce at the rear that at the front an circuits where maximum downforce is required.’
• The speed of the airflow increases as it travels from a large to a smaller space, so the air flows under the car faster than over it. The resultant difference in pressure literally sucks the car onto the track. Maintaining that suction at the back end of the car, where the floor backward of the rear-axle centerline sweeps upward ,is the role of the diffuser with its carefully crafted channels and splitters. And finally, the position and layout of the exhaust also influence aerodynamic stability. The exhaust gases must enter the airstream in the most favourable way possible.
The notion of ‘stalling’ is another important factor in the workings of the underside of a racing car. The term comes from aircraft engineering jargon and has nothing to do with the engine cutting out. In order to avoid the rise in drag at high speeds on long straights, the suspension and ground clearance are set-up so that, when the car reaches a certain speed, part of the underbody makes contact with the tarmac. This has the effect of interrupting the airflow under the car, reducing both grip and drag in the interests of speed. When and how a stall occurs depends on the design of the diffuser, its channels and the angle at which it rises. As a rule, the steeper the angle of the diffuser, the more downforce is generated and the earlier the stall occurs. Once again, this is the domain of precision computations, not least to exclude the undesirable possibility of the airflow being interrupted while cornering.
I have a doubt on the last paragragh, it happens I reality but I don’t know if it still legal in F1 to do it. Can someone explain to me?
I hope that the article I wrote above met your satisfaction and I hope that it increases your knowledge in Aerodynamics in F1. Sorry for no pictures but I have a problem with my scanner , I know that with pictures my explanation will be more understandable. In the future I will post another article like this, but on different subjects always concerning THE F1 CAR.
To conclude my article:
The very number of variables in the aerodynamic equation provide some indication of how complicated life can be for the downforce specialists in F1-all out to get their cars to run like the wind.
THE KEY TO SUCCESS GOES BY THE NAME OF AERODYNAMIC EFFICIENCY.
THE AIR FLOWS FASTER UNDER A RACING CAR THAN OVER IT.
Parts of a F1 car that compromise or effects aerodynamics are explained:
The Front wing assembly compromises the mainplane; mounted below the nose of the car, the flap, the two endplates, the fins and the fences. These parts are all fixed.
The aerofoil between the nose and the front suspension arms is called a Barge Board. It can be made up of several elements and can be of different sizes.
The underfloor ramp rising steeply to the rear of a F1 car is called the Diffuser. It compromises the center channel and a number of side channels.
The airflow underneath the car is accelerated by the diffuser. The width of the obligatory step in the car’s underfloor, supposed to reduce downforce starts to narrow at the rear-axle centerline from 50 to 30 cm.
The flap mounted above the main plane can be made up of two elements and with the aid of the lips known as Gurneys, generates more downforce. For some time now, the front wishbones too have been aerodynamically shaped.
The lower front suspension wishbones are attached to a central wedge-shaped mounting spine under the car’s nose. This is the classic front suspension mounting principle used and is known better as a single keel suspension.
Alternatively, the front suspension wishbones can be attached to two separate mounts, making for a cleaner airflow path underneath the car- a principle more known as the twin keel suspension system.
Instead of large barge boards some teams prefer to use small vanes known as tomohawks, mounted low down in front of the radiator air intakes, to direct the turbulent airflow from the front wheels under the sidepods and speed it up.
The regulations permit the use of additional aerodynamic aids on the car’s sidepods. The little baffle on the top of the sidepod is called a winglet, while the larger wing rising towards the rear wheel is known as a ‘batman’
The tail of an F1 car is very slender. The bottleneck shape assists the airflow to the rear wing. The exhaust exits upwards through a specially shaped chimney duct; guiding the exhaust gases precisely into the airflow to the rear.
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Can anyone calculate the point (speed) at which the drag of turbulant flow exceeds that of laminar 
I havn't a clue 
but I would hazard a guess it would invlove the intersection point of a linear equation and a quadratic equation some where and some pretty niffty CFD 
