Red Bull RB18

[AR3-GP]

Does the surface texture of the floor and the direction of the groves make any difference to how it acts?

All of those surfaces are smooth to touch. They only have the appearance of texture due to the carbon layup and the translucent resin/epoxy that is used.

Thanks. Is that a rule or it just happens that they are flat?

It's not a rule. Generally speaking, rough surfaces have more skin friction than smooth ones, so surfaces on these cars tend to be smooth. The roughness can also affect the size of boundary layer that forms at the surface and its transition to draggy turbulence.

[vorticism]

Look at those raising tunnel leading edges! RB putting so much air in floor vortices, no wonder their floor aero is so good with that much sealing...

In this photo and others it looks like the strakes don't turn out all the way to the floor edge. I think that is important as it relates to porpoising. They can probably shed a more reliable vortex form off of a truncated strake, rather than relying on a continuous curvature to do the same.

They also have a unique bib shape. They have the only fully rounded bib in the field, shaped like a ship's bow, this seems like a major difference. Everyone else is running sharper or recessed bib shapes that resemble prev season's T-trays. I think this probably helps them in yaw, get more consistent flow in the leeward tunnel.

[GrizzleBoy]

Hi guys
Great content here.

Here is a 3D representation of the RB18

Source:
TheoDev
Sketschfab
https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/red-bul ... fa2305368c

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... c251_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... 5268_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... 6281_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... 1dea_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... a9e8_k.jpg

hope you enjoy it.

Interesting to see from these angles that the RB18s outer floor is essentially two separate halves front and back.

[carisi2k]

How is that RedBull tunnel entrance cutout allowed?

If you look at the diagonal line for the opening cut in the RedBull, the angle is much bigger than on the other teams.

Is that a clever interpreation of the rules for that area? Because they definitely seem to have a bigger tunnel entrance than the others.

What tunnel entrance cutout?

[Stu]

Hi guys
Great content here.

Here is a 3D representation of the RB18

Source:
TheoDev
Sketschfab
https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/red-bul ... fa2305368c

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... c251_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... 5268_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... 6281_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... 1dea_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... a9e8_k.jpg

hope you enjoy it.

Interesting to see from these angles that the RB18s outer floor is essentially two separate halves front and back.

Not really; the ‘separated wavy part in the middle edge’ (), is their Floor-Edge-Wing feature. I think they are using it in the same way that the strakes on the inlet work, except it is horizontal. A certain amount of air will flow out from the front, the edge will set that into a small vortex at certain speeds.
At very low ride-heights it may well ‘vent’ the Venturi throat sideways (controlling porpoising events created by the floor) while allowing some air to flow into the diffuser through the rearward slot. A passive fluidic switch? Totally legal, but shows them thinking in three (four?) dimensions with regard to air flow. Hidden in plain sight….

[GrizzleBoy]

Hi guys
Great content here.

Here is a 3D representation of the RB18

Source:
TheoDev
Sketschfab
https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/red-bul ... fa2305368c

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... c251_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... 5268_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... 6281_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... 1dea_k.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519 ... a9e8_k.jpg

hope you enjoy it.

Interesting to see from these angles that the RB18s outer floor is essentially two separate halves front and back.

Not really; the ‘separated wavy part in the middle edge’ (), is their Floor-Edge-Wing feature. I think they are using it in the same way that the strakes on the inlet work, except it is horizontal. A certain amount of air will flow out from the front, the edge will set that into a small vortex at certain speeds.
At very low ride-heights it may well ‘vent’ the Venturi throat sideways (controlling porpoising events created by the floor) while allowing some air to flow into the diffuser through the rearward slot. A passive fluidic switch? Totally legal, but shows them thinking in three (four?) dimensions with regard to air flow. Hidden in plain sight….

I see what you're saying and I'm in no way qualified enough to argue otherwise, but my point was more to do with the physical disconnection of the front and rear of the exposed floor via the edge wing.

More pertinently in terms of ability of the front edge of the floor and the rear edge of the floor to move or flex independently under aero loads and how that could affect floor sealing.

The front section for instance could be stiffer than the rear, allowing the rear to flex down lower to the ground to create greater suction at the back of the car, while the front stays a little higher and more aerodynamically stable prevent the tunnel entrances choking as the car gets lower to the ground.

Maybe?

[PlatinumZealot]

The entries to the floor are also shorter inboard and taller ourboard. The opposite of most teams.



The outboard strakes must produce a stronger leading outwash coming out of the front corners of the floor then. The inner strake make an outwash behind that. Lets say its the mid-outwash.

According to Andrew Green of Aston Martin the floor changes from outwash at it's front half, to in-wash near the throat. So with this in mind, if RedBull has a stronger leading outwash, amd a weaker mid-outwash it could mean less interference where the floor transitions from outwash to inwash at the throat.

[vorticism]

In this photo and others it looks like the strakes don't turn out all the way to the floor edge.

Further example. This is surely critical detail. Also seems to have curved bottom edge.

[godlameroso]

The entries to the floor are also shorter inboard and taller ourboard. The opposite of most teams.

https://i.imgur.com/VGw2Z6F.jpeg

The outboard strakes must produce a stronger leading outwash coming out of the front corners of the floor then. The inner strake make an outwash behind that. Lets say its the mid-outwash.

According to Andrew Green of Aston Martin the floor changes from outwash at it's front half, to in-wash near the throat. So with this in mind, if RedBull has a stronger leading outwash, amd a weaker mid-outwash it could mean less interference where the floor transitions from outwash to inwash at the throat.

Look at the floor logically. You take a bunch of air and you push it out of the floor with the fences. This lowers the pressure of the floor. The are a few throats, at the beginning of the floor, the inner strake and the plank area form the first venturi, then near the gas tank the air is once again accelerated. The pressure is low, so low that it pulls in air from the surrounding area. Along with the low pressure, you have a high speed jet billowing into the diffuser. As long as you stop the air from mixing in that low pressure zone, the process continues. The outwash from the floor is channeled into the diffuser. The inrushing air, along with the high velocity jet creates a strong vortex. You want to shove as much air into the diffuser as you can at the highest speed you can, that will entrain more air, and in turn pull more air into the leading edge of the floor.

Anything you can do to lower the back pressure of the diffuser will make the tunnels work harder.

Because you are limited to pressure fluctuations, those are the only means of flow control you have. It's all about using jets of air to push air where you want it to. These jets of air can even create vortices, for example the entry to the tunnel itself aided by the strakes creates an inwashing vortex. The curve you see at the bottom of the strake is there to delay the high pressure from mixing with the low pressure on the other side.

This video has helped me a lot with understanding.

[SiLo]

The entries to the floor are also shorter inboard and taller ourboard. The opposite of most teams.

https://i.imgur.com/VGw2Z6F.jpeg

The outboard strakes must produce a stronger leading outwash coming out of the front corners of the floor then. The inner strake make an outwash behind that. Lets say its the mid-outwash.

According to Andrew Green of Aston Martin the floor changes from outwash at it's front half, to in-wash near the throat. So with this in mind, if RedBull has a stronger leading outwash, amd a weaker mid-outwash it could mean less interference where the floor transitions from outwash to inwash at the throat.

The strakes are far less angled for outwash than most other teams it seems as well. Definitely the most interesting floor design on the grid at the moment.

[Miha_v]

Scarbs talking abot a radical new thing RB is doing tu cure porpoising: non-newtonian fluid filled damper AKA "the custard damper."

Quite interesting!

https://twitter.com/ScarbsTech/status/1 ... e2kCSDFrlw

[Holm86]

Scarbs talking abot a radical new thing RB is doing tu cure porpoising: non-newtonian fluid filled damper AKA "the custard damper."

Quite interesting!

https://twitter.com/ScarbsTech/status/1 ... e2kCSDFrlw

Yeah, look at the date mate ...

[Miha_v]

Scarbs talking abot a radical new thing RB is doing tu cure porpoising: non-newtonian fluid filled damper AKA "the custard damper."

Quite interesting!

https://twitter.com/ScarbsTech/status/1 ... e2kCSDFrlw

Yeah, look at the date mate ...

"Sshh"

[OO7]

Scarbs talking abot a radical new thing RB is doing tu cure porpoising: non-newtonian fluid filled damper AKA "the custard damper."

Quite interesting!

https://twitter.com/ScarbsTech/status/1 ... e2kCSDFrlw

Nice try Scarb's!

[tpe]

He should say something like "mint sauce"