Red Bull RB13 TAG Heuer

[Caerdroia]

http://img.f1today.eu/x/full/photos/58b ... 8788e7.jpg
http://img.f1today.eu/x/full/photos/58b ... 718355.jpg

That's quite a lot of twist on the front wishbone's pickup points. Compare to RB12:

http://i.imgur.com/lenpek5.jpg

That's Newey's work no doubt. Front wing's longer and less aggressive Y250 zone makes sense now, they are trying to get as much flow as possible under the sidepod intakes and perhaps a bit of it to the floor leading edge. To do so, they are using lower part of the airflow, maybe even a part of the one coming under the front wing, and are twisting wishbones and pickup points to bend it where they want to. Just like what Ferrari seems to be doing with chassis winglets and high sidepod intakes. Ferrari solution is using cleaner airflow with more energy, though...

There was a change in the regulations for 2017. In 2016 the maximum angle that the suspension could be was 5° whereas in 2017 that was increased to 10°

[Vanja #66]

There was a change in the regulations for 2017. In 2016 the maximum angle that the suspension could be was 5° whereas in 2017 that was increased to 10°

Which angle are you talking about? It doesn't seem to have affected Mercedes, they kept this solution from previous year...

[PhillipM]

The actual angle of the elements themselves wrt to reference plane, not the geometery.

[zioture]

https://twitter.com/Graftechweb/status/ ... 3845617664

[Vanja #66]

The actual angle of the elements themselves wrt to reference plane, not the geometery.

Thanks for the info! Still, don't see how this has any effect on what I suggest, RB13 seems to have somewhat different philosophy regarding this area compared to RB12...

[Blackout]

RB13 front wing reminds me of the R30 FW (the raised flap tips around Y250)

[FPV GTHO]

This is the RB7 with something similar


RB8

[Vanja #66]

Thanks for the info! Still, don't see how this has any effect on what I suggest, RB13 seems to have somewhat different philosophy regarding this area compared to RB12...

Found what I was looking for...



They definitely use wishbone pick-up points to guide the air down...

[henry]

Thanks for the info! Still, don't see how this has any effect on what I suggest, RB13 seems to have somewhat different philosophy regarding this area compared to RB12...

Found what I was looking for...

http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2 ... 9_16-9.jpg

They definitely use wishbone pick-up points to guide the air down...

My reading of the regs is that the pick up points are treated as bodywork. The wishbones have specific requirements ( section 3.7) which I think allow them to twist from downwards up to 10° at the inside (guiding the airflow) and I assume upwards (10°) at the wheel end adding a little direct downforce. So the pickups continue the allowable form of the wishbone.

The flow vis looks to me as though it shows a vortex along the front of the sidepod which as it leaves is aligned with the notch in the floor. Is it possible it migrates under the floor?

[f1316]

Thanks for the info! Still, don't see how this has any effect on what I suggest, RB13 seems to have somewhat different philosophy regarding this area compared to RB12...

Found what I was looking for...

http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2 ... 9_16-9.jpg

They definitely use wishbone pick-up points to guide the air down...

Seems to fulfill the same function as the small winglets on the Ferrari then (albeit, much lower on the chassis)? Presumably Red Bull think it's more efficient to use the suspension to use the wishbone as a wing to avoid additional drag?

[Just_a_fan]

Thanks for the info! Still, don't see how this has any effect on what I suggest, RB13 seems to have somewhat different philosophy regarding this area compared to RB12...

Found what I was looking for...

http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2 ... 9_16-9.jpg

They definitely use wishbone pick-up points to guide the air down...

Some interesting stuff going on there. As well as the flow along the side of the tub being directed down and around the undercut, the flow over the bargeboard edge is visible (presumably by mistake). A few drips have showed that the main part of the upper edge of the board has air flowing upwards (to form an edge vortex, no doubt) but just above the yellow logo the flow goes downwards. I guess the side pod fence is interacting with the flow here in some way.

Look at the flow just before the R on the side pod. There is a loop of flowviz. I presume this is caused by the airflow doing different things at different speeds.

We can also see the drip that has got down to the edge of the t-tray. IT disappears in to the usual slot near the front of the tray's upstand edge device.

Very good view of the extensive series of fences below the tub. I think RedBull is using this area as a tunnel to set up and guide air on to the t-tray and then down under the floor's leading edge. This seems to be a big difference between the RedBull and other cars from what I've seen so far. I think it's done to maximise the airflow in to the very large expansion diffuser that the floor is these days with the rake they run. Mercedes don't do this and they don't run the same rake. Another clue to the different philosophies, I think.

That's a great picture. Wish we had more from this car and others. Perhaps the photographers at tests should concentrate more on this sort of thing and less on medium distance shots of the cars cornering...

[Vanja #66]

The flow vis looks to me as though it shows a vortex along the front of the sidepod which as it leaves is aligned with the notch in the floor. Is it possible it migrates under the floor?

I'm not looking at what seems to be a vortex now (too much for this moment, there are other thing that need to be cleared before that but Scarbs seems to think so in the ESPN article I forwarded the photo from), I'm just looking at the wishbone pick-up and huge difference compared to last year. Again:

RB12


RB13


RB13+flow viz


Compare RB12 and SF16:



People noticed last year that Ferrari wishbones are thicker and of this there is no doubt. Thicker wishbones allow for longer cord of that airfoil as far as I know, so it would make sense if Ferrari was using them for aero like Mercedes did to point the air downwards. They still do it:



And now Red Bull as well. Or maybe this is too much armchair CFD...

Seems to fulfill the same function as the small winglets on the Ferrari then (albeit, much lower on the chassis)? Presumably Red Bull think it's more efficient to use the suspension to use the wishbone as a wing to avoid additional drag?

SF70H looks to be using higher layers, above the suspension, and guiding them down. These aren't disturbed by front wing and should have more energy. I'll post a bit more on SF70 in its thread...

Very good view of the extensive series of fences below the tub. I think RedBull is using this area as a tunnel to set up and guide air on to the t-tray and then down under the floor's leading edge. This seems to be a big difference between the RedBull and other cars from what I've seen so far. I think it's done to maximise the airflow in to the very large expansion diffuser that the floor is these days with the rake they run. Mercedes don't do this and they don't run the same rake. Another clue to the different philosophies, I think.

Yes, those turning vanes have grown into outright fences. By the looks of them, perhaps multiple elements and slots are used in three ways:
-sucking out the boundary layer from the outside to keep that outer flow nice and clean
-energizing the inner flow for more "oomph" before it gets to the sidepods and wherever afterwards
-keeping these two zones separated as much as possible...

Just a thought...

[Thunder]

Floor Detail from today: https://twitter.com/AlbertFabrega/statu ... 7485494272

[Sevach]

[Flying JPS Lotus]

RB13 on track today. Doesn't look to me like there's anything new on it.