Ferrari SF-26

[AR3-GP]

Isn't there a stipulation in the rules that all SLM mechanisms must fail closed?

Yes and you can do that with springs inside the mechanism (think like air brakes on a truck need air pressure to unstick the brakes). So that would try and push the wing closed when there's no actuator power, but if the mechanism itself binds because of flexing or other issue that only shows up on the track, then it doesn't really matter, it's not going to work.

With every design, there is what you want it to do, what it does in the factory when you show it to the FIA, and then what it does on the track...

As explained in the video linked a few posts before, the issue may be on the fluid dynamic side and not on the mechanical closing of the wing. In substance, there may be situations in which the flow does not reattach and at that point there is nothing you can do.

They might also have reattachment issues that could show up on another day, but so far there is a much simpler explanation which has been provided.

Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 that the cause of his Silverstone spin was identical to the issue that put him in the barriers in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix a week earlier.

“The same as Austria, the rear wing just doesn’t fully close,” he said. “I saw the analysis. It looks like it closes, but it doesn’t. It closes but it’s just a little bit open and you lose a lot of rear downforce. And that’s why the car just spins off the track.”

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/verst ... 40457.html

[venkyhere]

So much 'stuff' flying around about the 'Redbull mechanism' both in forums and media.
What made this wing 'fine' before Austria ? The car was much more unbalanced, was generating lesser overall downforce, and had all kinds of under/over steer (shifting balance) in corners, with drivers complaining all the time. Why didn't this 'wing problem' show up then ? The drivers were as likely to 'press the button late' pre-Austria. Plus, both team and driver have openly admitted that the 'wing didn't close properly' & didn't say 'wing closed late'. I don't have any reason to believe that the problem is anything other than the 'mechanism' of the actuator+hinges not working optimally in the face of 'load'. But then, why were they working well before Austria ?
There is only one answer - weight saving. They must have done something to the wing assembly or the wing itself or the SLM mechanism, to save weight, and miscalculated the mechanical robustness against instantaneous peak loads (changing wind + closing 'against' high pressure air), that must have exposed a flaw with the actuator+hinge mechanism that causes it to 'stop closing' before reaching final position. The team probably has a simple solution already (corner case bug exposed only in the 'field') and might fix this next race itself.
Until then, we can read/watch tons of content about how the problem is aerodynamic, rather than mechanical.

[matteosc]

Yes and you can do that with springs inside the mechanism (think like air brakes on a truck need air pressure to unstick the brakes). So that would try and push the wing closed when there's no actuator power, but if the mechanism itself binds because of flexing or other issue that only shows up on the track, then it doesn't really matter, it's not going to work.

With every design, there is what you want it to do, what it does in the factory when you show it to the FIA, and then what it does on the track...

As explained in the video linked a few posts before, the issue may be on the fluid dynamic side and not on the mechanical closing of the wing. In substance, there may be situations in which the flow does not reattach and at that point there is nothing you can do.

They might also have reattachment issues that could show up on another day, but so far there is a much simpler explanation which has been provided.

Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 that the cause of his Silverstone spin was identical to the issue that put him in the barriers in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix a week earlier.

“The same as Austria, the rear wing just doesn’t fully close,” he said. “I saw the analysis. It looks like it closes, but it doesn’t. It closes but it’s just a little bit open and you lose a lot of rear downforce. And that’s why the car just spins off the track.”

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/verst ... 40457.html

I wonder if it didn't close properly because it did not have the expected level of downforce to close the last little bit. In general I think it is interesting that some people view the RedBull solution as more stable under braking, some people think the complete opposite. Regardless of mechanical failures.

[venkyhere]

As explained in the video linked a few posts before, the issue may be on the fluid dynamic side and not on the mechanical closing of the wing. In substance, there may be situations in which the flow does not reattach and at that point there is nothing you can do.

They might also have reattachment issues that could show up on another day, but so far there is a much simpler explanation which has been provided.

Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 that the cause of his Silverstone spin was identical to the issue that put him in the barriers in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix a week earlier.

“The same as Austria, the rear wing just doesn’t fully close,” he said. “I saw the analysis. It looks like it closes, but it doesn’t. It closes but it’s just a little bit open and you lose a lot of rear downforce. And that’s why the car just spins off the track.”

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/verst ... 40457.html

I wonder if it didn't close properly because it did not have the expected level of downforce to close the last little bit. In general I think it is interesting that some people view the RedBull solution as more stable under braking, some people think the complete opposite. Regardless of mechanical failures.

It's the other way around - the closing mechanism has to work against the onsetting downforce while closing. And there has to be some kind of mechanical lock inherent to the mechanism (which gets disengaged just before the wing begins opening for SLM) that prevents the downforce (the force is never downward, it's pointed 'down&back' if it were a vector) from opening the wing when SLM is inactive, since the hinge mechanism is near the top. This 'downforce is not supposed to open the wing by accident' condition applied for the earlier DRS mechanism as well, just to put it in perspective.

In case of the SF26, the 'final moments of closing' is aided by the onsetting downforce (exactly opposite to the Redbull).