Renault R31

[Blackout]

Genius... Exhausts feed the underside of the diffuser but even smarter might be the fact that renault is funneling air through the huge radiator inlets and blowing it evenly over the top of the diffuser. Most other teams are exiting this air into free space ala red bull while renault is utilizing it and dispersing it evenly to blow the top of the diffuser via bottle necking.

I was thinking the same but... do you think that the air exiting from those outlets has anough speed to aid the diffuser ?

The FI has similar outlets to the Renault... but it has exhaust pipes inside them...

http://i79.servimg.com/u/f79/14/79/55/26/016_2_10.jpg

http://i79.servimg.com/u/f79/14/79/55/26/dcd11010.jpg

[H.Lyoud]

http://video.gazzetta.it/f1--lotus-r31- ... d5df2bfa64

Exhaust

http://video.gazzetta.it/f1--lotus-r31- ... d5df2bfa64

Airbox

[forty-two]

I love how in that animation the "Plank" is shown as if it's made from fine beeswaxed mahogany. It looks like the top of a sideboard!

[ringo]

The animation looks more like a guess than anything else, though it's done pretty nicely and pretty quick judging by how recently the car just came out.

[forty-two]

I just wish I could understand the voice-over.

Sounds a little like the Channel 9 news to me.....Scorchio but that's just my ignorant ear!

[Lindz]

The animation looks more like a guess than anything else, though it's done pretty nicely and pretty quick judging by how recently the car just came out.

Yeah, it's like... "Ehhhh. Dis isa da way dat the exhauste exit da carr, and it'sa da fire. Da blue arrrrrows isa da aire and the fire shootsa backa like thees."


Still, was cool to see and it wasn't poorly done (despite them obviously guessing randomly at how everything works). I laughed a little at the wood plank as well. Haha. Looks like it came off a yacht (Briatore's, maybe?).

[Owen.C93]

This guy uploads alot of them videos to youtube, worth a look.

http://www.youtube.com/user/YellowbirdRS

[AbbaleRacing77]

Yes I absolutely believe that the air coming out of those side pod exits is fast enough to aid downforce that's why the inlets are so big. There purpose is to collect as much air as possible and then the the air exits at double or triple the speed that it went into the sidepods. Either way it's still gonna blow out the back of the side pods quicker then it naturally would by making smaller or a tighter rear end like red bulls. While everyone else is utilizing 200mph air flowing over the diffuser along with exhaust gasses Renault is using 3 or 400 mph airflow via the bolwn side pods evenly across the top of the diffuser with exhaust gasses being blown under the diffuser. A very different approach then everyone else. Think of your garden hose versus your garden hose with a spray nozzle on it, the velocity of water is double or triple with the nozzle.

And no I don't think the exit at the center of the engine cover does anything to aid downforce it just helps aid the exit of hot air. If the blown sidepods were the only air exits it would essentially choke the flow of air through the sidpod entrances not allowing for sufficient cooling.

Sorry ahead of time if my grammar is off. I'm writing this on my iPhone.

[mith]

How this air in sidepods is speed to 300-400 mph? Shouldn't going through radiators slow it down?

[AbbaleRacing77]

I'm explaining the concept without using exact numbers. And no radiators don't offer that much resistance. Go out to your car blow on your radiators and let me know what you think. I think you'll be surprised how little resistance they have and I'm sure the custom designed radiators at Renault offer even less resistance. And I didn't say that the air was traveling into the radiator at 3 or 400 mph. I said it's going into the side pod at 150 - 200 mph essentially pressurizing the sidepod and exiting at 3 or 400 mph out the tiny little holes in the back.

[Owen.C93]

I doubt that, there is too much resistant for that to happen. It will help in supplying air to that region, but not accelerating it.

[myurr]

There is precedence in aircraft: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_Effect

This was used, for example, in the Spitfire and P-51 Mustang. I would imagine all the teams are exploiting this concept though.

[AbbaleRacing77]

I doubt that, there is too much resistant for that to happen. It will help in supplying air to that region, but not accelerating it.

I'm willing to bet that your shower head has some pretty small and restrictive holes in it correct? Does the water exit the shower head faster than it goes in? The concept is fairly simple... The idea of a radiator is to flow as much cool air through it as possible so how did you come to the conclusion that theyre too restrictive? I'm sure that Renault designed less restrictive radiators with cooling jackets which more spread out explaining there gargantuan size. Spread out cooling jackets + more surface area = more airflow through the radiator. Fairly simple concept to grasp. Take a look at the exits on the Ferrari sidepods which don't aid in adding downforce at all compared to the Renault.

Myurr raises a good point as well... The expansion of the air after it passes the radiators will also aid in compressing the sidepods resulting in a faster airflow out the back of the pods.

[Owen.C93]

I understand that, I just don't think that passing through radiators and the rest of the car will result in an accelerated flow out of the rear.

I could be wrong.

[marcush.]

WWII ..fighter aircraft..the concept is for long,very long ducts .
http://www.ch601.org/resources/cooling_systems2.htm

current F1 duct aero is compromising heavily in that area with duct lengths varying from 150mm to 1100mm on the inlet side and what ever it is on the exit side...plus the air hitting the radiator at an angle of 30° ..leading to cross flows ....I have to admit I have not looked at a F1 radiator closely for a long timeand pictures do not really give away much...