Brabham BT52 strange radiator position

[JoaoB]

Hello everyone.

Have anyone ever wondered how the cooling system of the Brabham BT52 worked?
I mean, looking at the strange position of the radiator, one may thing that the air flow would go around the radiator and intercooler instead of passing through them.



Of course, that was not the case. The car worked perfectly but can any one explain how? Was it an efficient system?

Thanks

Joao

[matt21]

I think here you can see that there would be flow through the radiators.

And yes, it has been efficient. the concept was WC.

[olefud]

If I’m looking at things correctly, the air inlet is positioned in a high pressure zone developed by the side pod. This is analogous to the high pressure volume at the base of the windshield used in NASCAR to feed dense air to the engine air inlet.

[rjsa]

I just love this car, thanks for the cutout.

[matt21]

If I’m looking at things correctly, the air inlet is positioned in a high pressure zone developed by the side pod. This is analogous to the high pressure volume at the base of the windshield used in NASCAR to feed dense air to the engine air inlet.

Additionally they positioned the longitudinal radiators in the high pressure area in front of the rear wheel.
Ferrari did something similar with the 126 in 83.

In 84 they changed to amore traditional layout but weren´t as succesfull as the two years before.

[JoaoB]

I was also thinking that the low pressure zone behind the car and rear wing would have some effect getting the air circulating from the sidepods to the rear of the car.

In the Ferrari example, is the air going in the sidepods at the front and exiting near the rear wheels (on the radiator zone) and behind the car or is it entering in the sidepods by the front and both sides and exiting at the rear of the car?

Joao

[matt21]

The air is entering front and side and exits at the rear