Flexible wings controversy 2010

[flynfrog]

I think you guys are thinking way to hard about this.

They have had flexi wings for some time now. Remember the Renault and Ferrari wings then the maca bridge wing. Its nothing new. Its pretty easy to build a composite laminate to pass a test loaded in one direction and be very bendy in another.

[clarkiesyeah]

Indeed. I have a shimano carbon fibre fishing rod that is constructed in a similar way. It is very stiff when bending vertically yet is very flexible when horizontal side tension is applied. Cricky, I would hope that the highly technical world of F1 has a little more technical knowledge than the angling world.

Built using XT200 carbon and Biofibre, the fibres are layered to create both rigidity or flexibility on demand... Hmm sounds familiar.

[marcush.]

Indeed. I have a shimano carbon fibre fishing rod that is constructed in a similar way. It is very stiff when bending vertically yet is very flexable when horizontal side tension is applied. Cricky, I would hope that the highly technical world of F1 has a little more technical knowledge than the angling world.

you never know.. people can be quite stubborn and ignorant in motorsports ...

[strad]

I have a couple of Carbon Fiber rods and while they are nice and sensitive they flex the same up and down and sideways...?????

[forty-two]

Just took another look at this report on formula1.com and noticed something.

http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/ ... 6/782.html

In the image, which surprisingly is of a red bull car, it shows the old location for flex testing (50kg) and the new location for the test (100kg).

What's surprising is that the new test point is inboard of the old test point by some margin. It's actually a shade under half the width of the wing elements in fact.

When talking about levers, if you halve the length of the lever, you must double the weight, so in effect, this new "more stringent" test is actually no more stringent than before, AND it means that the parts of the wing outside the new testing point are now not subject to testing.

Or am I reading this wrong?

[strad]

forty-two:
I think you have a point.

[747heavy]

I´m not sure the F1.com site is 100% correct.
The old test was not at the endplates, see FIA-F1 regs.
Not sure that they haved moved the test point, I don´t think so.
If they have moved the test point more inboard, the new wing could actually flex more then they old one, because you get twice the deflection/displacement for twice the load, but the moment/torque load*distance is not twice if you reduce the distance/lever length.

I think the article on F1.con is more aimed at the causal fan.
There is no update so far on the FIA website, as far as the reg´s go

[clarkiesyeah]

I have a couple of Carbon Fiber rods and while they are nice and sensitive they flex the same up and down and sideways...?????

Shimano Aerocast(tm), Check em out. Same principle.

[747heavy]

just some info´s on the topic, so that people like myself (no fishing folks) can follow

[clarkiesyeah]

So simple its ridiculous. I find Martin Whitmarsh's comment that they "have no idea" how Red Bull are doing it almost laughable, he was having a laugh, surely?

[strad]

Mine are not oval...must be the difference...thanks

[forty-two]

forty-two:
I think you have a point.

Ah, recognition... At last! LOL

[iquark]

Looking at the video from the Spa crash over and over, and one thing sticks in my mind: It seems pretty obvious that the RB became unsettled after dipping in and out of the dirty air behind JB, but the flexing appears to be in the pylons/cone, not purely in the tips (as mentioned by others before). The wing movement looks more or less symmetrical about the central vertical plane, and it would seem to be a case of pylon (or very unlikely cone) displacement, not a function of the tip flexure we're used to.

Now, this leads to my question, is a less rigid pylon/FIA mandated central section of the wing a necessity of whatever tech RB is using to obtain the tip displacement we see in the races?

If so, do we have film of other slipstream passes which could corroborate this idea?

[strad]

Posted video,,,compare the Ferrari in the same situation...no wild dipping or flexing...same race...
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2160&start=735

[clarkiesyeah]

If so, do we have film of other slipstream passes which could corroborate this idea?

Yeah! Every accident involving the rb6, if there is onboard footage of it, its on youtube. It happens every time they get in the wake of the car in front. Wobble, wag, dip and flex.