9 replies to this topic

[carlos.maza]

Hi all:

I would like to know more about vortex generators.
Are they used in F1?
Which teams use them?
Could this be a solution for reducing vortexes (drag) at the rear end?
How about under the car and/or the diffuser?

I appreciate very much any information regarding VGs.

[perfectelise]

A vortex generator could create a low pressure area.
A low pressure area is desirable underneath the car and at the exhaust & radiator outlets.
Trailing vorticies behind a car could disrupt a following car's aero.

perfectelise

[Eric McLoughlin]

In the early 1990's many F1 cars featured long rearward curved extensions to their front wings which ran around the inside of the front wheels. I'm pretty sure these were used to generate a rolling vortex down the side of the car helping to isolate the underbody airflow from air flowing around the outside of the car. They were banned at the end of the 1993 season and I'm in no doubt that the subsequent appearance of "Barge Boards" was directly related to this.

I'm also pretty sure that this year's Ferrari is using a a front wheel hub mounted device to generate a vortex down the side of the car. Has anyone noticed the amount of brake dust building up ON TOP of the sidepods as the race progresses? Was it the failure of this device last Sunday that damaged Schumacher's left front wheel last Sunday at Imola? If this "device" is improving airflow and of course, downforce, should it not be outlawed because of the general ban on moveable aeodynamic devices?

[MCH]

Weren't those front wing extensions banned for the 1994 Spanish gp? If I recall correctly it was one of the measurements taken after Senna's crash.

Bardge boards were already used before the ban of these extensions.

Here's Senna in 1993
http://www.forix.com...1008_mpics_.jpg

The Brabham Bt55 als seems to have some kind of bardge board.
http://www.forix.com...03008_sibo_.jpg

Eric> do you have pictures of this front wheel hub mounted
device on this years Ferrari?

[Eau Red]

Originally posted by Eric McLoughlin
I'm also pretty sure that this year's Ferrari is using a a front wheel hub mounted device to generate a vortex down the side of the car. Has anyone noticed the amount of brake dust building up ON TOP of the sidepods as the race progresses?

the explanation i've seen (mostly on here) is that the strange Ferrari hubs are for brake cooling-- notice that Ferrari is able to use very small front brake coling ducts (maybe rear too... I haven't seen a picture of those yet). Your explanation makes sense, though, considering the brake dust on the car. Hmm.


There is a good explanation of vortex generators at http://www.mulsannes...om/gtone101.htm

[Rainer Nyberg]

At least on aircraft vortex generators are used for creating invisible wing-fences.
In effect they help the keep the airflow over the wings so that the airflow does not follow the wing instead of passing over it.

[f1pro]

Here is what I thought to be the function of the vortex generators used on supersonic aircrafts.

At low speed(subsonic), to generate the same amount of lift that at high speed(supersonic), the angle of attack as to be greater but these airplane have wing that has a low stall angle(angle at which an aerofoil begins to lose lift). So to prevent stalling, the vortex generators create small vortices that delay the stalling to a greater angle. The vortices take the air molecules at the bottom of the boundary layer that have less energy(which cause the separation of the boundary layer) and send it on the top of the boundary layer so it could get more energy and back at the bottom where it would "restick" to the surface and then the aerofoil can create more lift.


Any other opinion ????

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong(in my explaination or the terms I used) and excuse my english(it's not my first language, I speak french)

[carlos.maza]

Wouldn´t it be possible to place vortex generators in such a way that the vortexes would act effectively as skirts?

[carlos.maza]

Could BAR´s small triangular nose "wings" considered as strakes or vortex generators?

[Richard Border]

f1pro

You've got it basically right.

Rainer Nyberg

The closest to that that I've seen where the chordwise slots in a British Lighting's wing.

carlos.maza

Vortex generators that I've seen are usually set at 45* to the airflow and are about 1 inch wide and tall.

A NASA type intake duct is a variation on the theme. The highspeed airflow spills over the edge of the duct putting higher pressure air in and sweeping the low speed boundary layer in.