Vodafone McLaren MP4-27 Mercedes

[beelsebob]

EDIT:

Random thought about why this might be even better...

Now THAT is a great idea. Smaller rads, maybe smaller sidepods, overall aerodynamic gain. Beautiful!

Looking at the diagram F1 sidepods already follow that format. Large intake that then expands around the radiator before narrowing to a smaller outlet. Underbody aero is supposed to be as important as the more visible external aero, maybe this is one of the principles that teams are exploiting.

Yep, I'm sure all the teams will be exploiting the effect re radiators, but to try and heat the air additionally using the exhaust gasses seems to be taking it one step further. There's no reason to cool the exhausts, other than to get that air flowing faster.

Uhh yeh... what spencifer murphy said.

[mozza_84]

well done to mclaren for been the only team to design a front wing without the horrible platypose drop. it worked for them last year so i cant see why all these teams have felt the need to go the extreme of such horrible crap on there car. my predictions that this is mclarens year for sure hamilton ftw.

[mith]

I believe, the reason for that is, most of the teams have some experience with the design allowing as much air passing under the nose as possible, while McLaren has experience with lower noses. The other reason is possibility of recycling last year's tub what is equal to saving some money.

[officialsushy]

Hey Guys
I want to be aerodynamics and want to work with McLaren in my future life I think McLaren needs smooth crocodile nose because its not letting any flow to their main intake and rest of team have that.Any reliability that McLaren will have.I hope I'm not right but They should.
Look pictures of my thought
Its copyright to McLaren but is my pictures of the drawing of the flows




SideView
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76038325@N05/6830861895/
Front
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76038325@N05/6830862875/

[officialsushy]

Its it only me that Mclaren have more experience in low noses than any other teams that's why they chose that Same low nose from MP4 26 and its like their history.They haven't had any his nose

[raymondu999]

SideView
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76038325@N05/6830861895/
Front
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76038325@N05/6830862875/

Here are Officialsushy's pics embedded for easier viewing

Its it only me that Mclaren have more experience in low noses than any other teams that's why they chose that Same low nose from MP4 26 and its like their history.They haven't had any his nose

By lowering their entire nose; they could satisfy the 2012 regs anyways. THey have had 2 years of working with that nose design, and would have a good understanding of what it does to the airflow of the car, and would have the benefit of past setup data.

[Pup]

Interesting comment from James Allen...

There is a school of thought that McLaren did not need to do the stepped nose because they anticipated the 2012 rules in their 2011 design and thus have an already well sorted concept. But more of that another time.

There may be something to this, but if so, I'd suspect it would be more a case of good fortune rather than preplanning. That is, Macca were forced, both with the 25 and 26, to make serious changes to the aero for which neither car had been designed. As such, they probably had to develop a different solution, one which maybe now works to their advantage.

[raymondu999]

When were the 2012 nose/bulkhead regs released? Unless it was released sometime in the last quarter of 2009 I'm not buying it. The MP4-25 already had the same nose, though back then the nose seemed just straight - now the nose tip seems wider, more "beaklike." But the general concept is the same.

[plavi]

https://p.twimg.com/Ak_OFc5CQAEPonO.jpg

now they copy us

[Pierce89]

https://p.twimg.com/Ak_OFc5CQAEPonO.jpg

now they copy us

Us? you part of Team Macca?Spying in our humble thread?

[raymondu999]

Also that's been tested since Monza last year (I think). Raced in Singapore.

[Owen.C93]

https://p.twimg.com/Ak_OFc5CQAEPonO.jpg

now they copy us

Us? you part of Team Macca?Spying in our humble thread?

Do we have to go over this again?

[Henning]

Reading the link (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-445/ch5-5.htm) from the Wiki page on the meredith effect, there are a couple of interesting sections which suggest it's not going to work on an F1 car:

"The Meredith effect was so small at 1936 airspeeds that it could conveniently be neglected in performance estimates"

"Thinking in terms of flight speeds of 550 mph, we calculated ideal thermal efficiencies of as much as 10 percent"

"At a Mach number of about 0.5, the propulsive effect had become equal to the internal drag"

Note : Mach 0.5 is about 380mph

Even the Honda dessert 400 only just managed those speeds

[ianwit]

I reckon the front wing configuration can largely ignored until they all get to testing and during tests they may change a lot up to Australia.

[Pup]

"At a Mach number of about 0.5, the propulsive effect had become equal to the internal drag"

Note : Mach 0.5 is about 380mph

Even the Honda dessert 400 only just managed those speeds

So using forum logic, we can say that since McLaren are making use of the effect, then we can expect a top speed in excess of Mach 0.5.

Beat that, Mr. Newey!



In defense of the idea, the article is talking about the effect for use as direct propulsion where we're talking about other things. Think of it this way: if an unheated flow of air can be used to great effect, such as in the f-duct, then it's a simple step that a heated/faster flow of air will provide a greater effect. But I'm not sure that any of this will be new to the teams. Obviously they make adjustments from race to race in the outlet size and one could guess that in doing so they are taking into account many things other than just cooling.

What I found interesting about the diagram was the possibility of an adjustable outlet, which I don't know if the teams have explored, or if the rules would allow. It could be that the complications and weight of such a system outweigh any advantage, assuming there is any.