Big Tea wrote: ↑13 Mar 2022, 16:33
Would it need to actually touch the surface? If it was suspension locked to bottom out with say 20mm tyre movement allowed, could that be 'sealed off' from the sides with pressure or a vortex along the floor edge?
could movement from that point up could be controlled to keep it slow enough?
That could work, but then you'd have a problem of locking the suspension and designing parts which can take those loads on. Not to mention dynamic bump loads they'd have to endure. On top of that, I doubt it would be legal to restrict suspension travel outside the damper travel. And if you'd restrict the damper, sealing would probably pop-off very quickly.
AR3-GP wrote: ↑13 Mar 2022, 17:20
Front wing works in ground effect too. For years Red Bull front wing endplates have been skirting on the ground, being driven to the ground by roll and suction. So why is it a big deal that the edge of the floor (which has the least suction on it) is scraping the ground?
There's an entire plank right down the middle of the floor. To prevent any travel, you'd need to let the plank hit the ground and stay there - and then drag it across the straights for about 30-40s per lap. The loads exerted onto the plank and skid blocks would be substantial, 200 kg and up easily. Not quite the same as skirting one wing footplate in high speed corners, where the load is barely 1-2 kilos.