McLaren MP4-26 Mercedes

[Just_a_fan]

Rumours swirled around that Jerez test that the car is very sensitive to changes in wind direction with some of the heavy winds there, and hence probably air direction in yaw as well. Why am I not surprised? If that's the case then they've got their work cut out and have more to worry about than exhausts.

Really? Not just you now trying to find an issue with the McLaren? You've already stated that you think the sidepods will create yaw issues.

Now, "source up" or shut up...

[JB2011]

Funnily enough, I was watching a program on BBC on the A380. (Richard Hammond's engineering connections)

The evacuation slide inflation system uses an Aspirator to create a vacuum and speed up the air passing through. Maybe, just maybe, the same effect could be used by having a double floor and exhaust gasses.

I am not a very technical guy, maybe this concept might work in an F1 car. Here's a link to the video.

The fun stuff starts around the 4:55 mark on the video.

Maybe the more experienced guys maybe able to help...

Ah yes. That's sort of the same principle as what I was explaining above. I know a little about fluid flow from the mechanics I am taught at university alongside my product design. The video demonstrates the Bernoulli Principle where flow speed increases with a reduction of pressure.

Besides the 5cm perimeter of the diffuser I believe the only available hole in the floor is the starter.

I thought I'd heard that somewhere before. I think we can all see the pipes are not exiting from the front. If they're not coming out in the floor somewhere I think they must be simply exiting out of the large duct on the back of the engine cover. Very boring.

[Giblet]

Mclaren car is very "innovative" with pull rod suspension like Red Bull, front tyre rims like Ferrari, sidepost like Ferrari, fantastic job, very impressive

You understand we are talking mostly about the sidepods right?

[wesley123]

Mclaren car is very "innovative" with pull rod suspension like Red Bull, front tyre rims like Ferrari, sidepost like Ferrari, fantastic job, very impressive

Good eye mister

[Pup]

The opposition seems divided about whether to criticize McLaren for being too original, or for copying others.

[JMN]

http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-153168.html

A frustrating day of running, with windy conditions compromising our data gathering programme and affecting efforts to find a satisfactory set-up for the MP4-26.

Jenson was unable to find a suitable balance with the car, and the team’s progress was brought to an early end in the middle of the afternoon following the failure of an internal component.

Can't say if this was the rumour being mentioned earlier, but a compromised data collection doesn't imply the car is overly wind sensitive.

http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-152870.html

McLaren was testing a Renault-like forward-exiting exhaust concept on its newly launched MP4-26 car at Jerez on Thursday.

Auto Motor und Sport's Jerez correspondent said McLaren's rear-exiting conventional exhaust layout had mysteriously vanished when Hamilton exited the pits at Jerez on Thursday morning.

Instead, the exhausts are now exiting at the front of the sidepods, with the innovation only spotted by reporters when mechanics had to pause on one occasion whilst pushing Hamilton back into the garage after a run on Thursday.

"As with the Renault the detail is very difficult to photograph," confirmed the German report

[Just_a_fan]

So far, the only person who has stated that McLaren are using an FEE is an unnamed AMuS journo who has no evidence to prove it.

This story keeps getting quoted as evidence but is nothing more, so far, than vapourware...

[ferddy07]

Well I've been following this partcicular thread for months now,and before that the MP4-25 thread with very keen interest (thanks to goonie) I have to say a lot of the views here are interesting some quite frankly amusing. But after years of following F1 testing one thing is certain, we're just going to have to wait till march 13th, before we know how competitive the MP4-26 is. And then I guess a big slice of humble pie may or may not be served.

[Shaddock]

Funnily enough, I was watching a program on BBC on the A380. (Richard Hammond's engineering connections)

The evacuation slide inflation system uses an Aspirator to create a vacuum and speed up the air passing through. Maybe, just maybe, the same effect could be used by having a double floor and exhaust gasses.

I am not a very technical guy, maybe this concept might work in an F1 car. Here's a link to the video.

The fun stuff starts around the 4:55 mark on the video.

Maybe the more experienced guys maybe able to help...

Ah yes. That's sort of the same principle as what I was explaining above. I know a little about fluid flow from the mechanics I am taught at university alongside my product design. The video demonstrates the Bernoulli Principle where flow speed increases with a reduction of pressure.

Besides the 5cm perimeter of the diffuser I believe the only available hole in the floor is the starter.

If the exhausts were close to the side edge of the floor, you could run a slot in from the edge, and they could blow over that.

[segedunum]

This far there is no evidence as to where McLaren's exhausts are going. They are more likely to be rear facing. We've seen no clear exhaust plumes from the sides as we have with the Renault. Putting it in the splitter is the daftest thig I've heard.

[segedunum]

Now, "source up" or shut up...

My well worn experience around here tells me that you get asked for sources, and when you can produce them all hell breaks loose because it isn't what people want to hear and they didn't really believe you had them. There then has to be something wrong with your sources, they're not 'official' which is a word constantly used and you end up talking about everything but the topic at hand.........

It should be fairly obvious. You get an airflow coming in at a different angle across your surface, it moves into an enclosed area, you get pressure points, air comes off leading edges, faster air moves in, that air interacts...... It's a complex proposition for any wind tunnel or CFD simulation. If McLaren haven't accounted for everything here it could get very complicated.

We'll see, that's all I'll say.

[PlatinumZealot]

I believe the exhaust is cut to give a similar effect to Torro rosso. Wide energy distribution... OR if not, a side stream to the diffuser edges.

[ringo]

Now, "source up" or shut up...

My well worn experience around here tells me that you get asked for sources, and when you can produce them all hell breaks loose because it isn't what people want to hear and they didn't really believe you had them. There then has to be something wrong with your sources, they're not 'official' which is a word constantly used and you end up talking about everything but the topic at hand.........

It should be fairly obvious. You get an airflow coming in at a different angle across your surface, it moves into an enclosed area, you get pressure points, air comes off leading edges, faster air moves in, that air interacts...... It's a complex proposition for any wind tunnel or CFD simulation. If McLaren haven't accounted for everything here it could get very complicated.

We'll see, that's all I'll say.

I think they know what happens to the car, but don't know how it affects driver confidence and feeling in the car.
Looks like the drivers have their work cut out on windy tracks.

Sometimes i wonder why teams don't learn their lesson.
Copy the damn redbull, fiber for fiber, you can't lose!!
Stepney gate is proof enough of the copying philosophy. We had a championship car.

The bullwinkle 26 looks like it has some aces up it's sleeve so until bahrain we'll see if they put more time into their simulator instead of the car.

[NormalChris]

I feel like I have an extra chromosome.

[tok-tokkie]

Also, I forgot adding, I believe it was Newey last year who said that the F-duct was originally made for combat aircrafts in the 1950s by the USAF and adapted to work on a F1 car. (Source: http://www.redbullracing.com/cs/Satelli ... 2854575733)


Editted: Source Added

It seems you misunderstand what Newey is saying. He is talking about fluidic controls and not the airodynamics. As an alternative to electronic (transistor) controls equivalent pneumatic controls were developed - called fluidics. McLaren used the fluidic flip-flop switch to control the path of the airflow in the duct.