Giogio wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026, 14:32
I was watching the video of KYLE.ENGINEERS. When he talked about how flows are directed on floor board, I understood that, but when he started talking about creating certain pressurization points, I didn't understand what he meant there. Can someone explain this to me or cite articles where I can find out? Thank you very much in advance
Think of high pressure areas in aerodynamic models as invisible bodywork. The easiest way i know of to explain it, is like the designers are trying to keep high/low pressure areas in very specific places, where they are useful. For example, there is a high pressure area in the area directly infront, and above the front wing, and a corresponding low pressure area directly behind the horizontal front wing elements, and how you shape the wing, ex: tapering wing elements from inside-outside, or outside-inside, will give the two channels of flow on either side of the nose a very different form. If the front wing has more aggressive elements near the center, it creates a large low pressure zone near the nose, creating an inwashing effect for the airflow, and a front wing with more aggressive elements towards the end-plates, will create a low pressure area further outboard, with an outwash effect for the air over the nose of the car. The same principle is used for every part of the surface of a car. You cannot avoid high pressure areas, or you would have a car with 0 drag. So the game being played is to place the high pressure areas so they create corresponding low pressure areas in the most advantageous places (under the floor, under the wing elements, infront of surfaces perpendicular to direction of travel). There is also the engineering of laminar and non-laminar flow (non-laminar is usually called "turbulent"), designers typically only want smooth laminar flow touching the car. Turbulent flow increases drag, decreases the cooling ability of the air, and lowers the air pressure, reducing wing performance. Usually non-laminar flow is dumped outboard, or up, if its created early. Or through the empty, open area of the rear wing if created at the rear of the bodywork. There are always fun little exceptions to every explanation though, like the reason why F1 cars have such incredible "ground effect" without using the skirts seen in the 70s/early 80s, is the harnessing of small turbulent "eddies" (like horizontal corkscrews intentionally disrupted airflow) directed along the edge of the chassis. That is a major function of the small vanes and winglets on the front outboard section of the floors. Same goes for the large channels running from the sidepod intakes, down towards the rear floor. They want to increase air pressure directly on the rear floor, and onto the top of the rear wing, and leave a huge area of turbulent, low pressure air through the middle of the rear wing. This will help scavenge airflow from the diffuser, lowering airpressure even further under the car, and makes the air as messy as possible for anyone following them.
