need more info and pics about this Brabham BT46.
It`s not the original design with the watercoolers in the nose.
This car had it behind the front wheels.
Brabham BT46
Started by
uwe_sautter
, Jul 01 2004 08:01
6 replies to this topic
#1
uwe_sautter
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- 107 posts
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Posted 01 July 2004 - 08:01
Hi all,
need more info and pics about this Brabham BT46.
It`s not the original design with the watercoolers in the nose.
This car had it behind the front wheels.
need more info and pics about this Brabham BT46.
It`s not the original design with the watercoolers in the nose.
This car had it behind the front wheels.
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#2
david_martin
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Posted 01 July 2004 - 08:38
Basically one of Gordon Murray's wilder ideas gone wrong.
The original BT46 design had surface radiators mounted on the sidepods, as pictured. The potential aerodynamic benefits were enormous, eliminating conventional radiator ports in either the nose or the sidepods offered a significant reduction in drag. Unfortunately the surface radiators heat transfer efficiency was found to be pretty abysmal. A string of boiling Alfa engines led to a rethink and the replacement of the surface radiators with conventional radiators in the nose. The whole BT46 engine cooling fiasco did lend at least a modicum of believability to the explanation that the enormous fans on the BT46B "fan car" were really for engine cooling
The original BT46 design had surface radiators mounted on the sidepods, as pictured. The potential aerodynamic benefits were enormous, eliminating conventional radiator ports in either the nose or the sidepods offered a significant reduction in drag. Unfortunately the surface radiators heat transfer efficiency was found to be pretty abysmal. A string of boiling Alfa engines led to a rethink and the replacement of the surface radiators with conventional radiators in the nose. The whole BT46 engine cooling fiasco did lend at least a modicum of believability to the explanation that the enormous fans on the BT46B "fan car" were really for engine cooling
#3
Jeremy Jackson
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Posted 01 July 2004 - 09:16
True the original surface cooling didn't work, but that's not the car in the pic. That's the BT46C with surface-mounted rads, which appeared (briefly) in practice in Austria 1978.
It's been discussed here before, under something like "Experiments, weird etc"
It's been discussed here before, under something like "Experiments, weird etc"
#4
dolomite
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Posted 01 July 2004 - 16:55
Do a search on TNF for "BT46C".
They're not surface rads as used on the original BT46. Instead they are conventional rads mounted parallel to the sides of the monocoque. The air is supposed to enter through ducts behind the front wheels into the gap between the monocoque and the rad, then flow out sideways through the rad.
They're not surface rads as used on the original BT46. Instead they are conventional rads mounted parallel to the sides of the monocoque. The air is supposed to enter through ducts behind the front wheels into the gap between the monocoque and the rad, then flow out sideways through the rad.
#5
RTH
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Posted 01 July 2004 - 17:10
We had 2 side rads like that parallel to the centre line of the car flush with the sides of the car, just ahead of the rear wheels on a '79 Tiga Sports 2000 car . You would never believe it would work but it did perfectly, there was low pressure in that area and it sucked air through.
The original 'surface cooling' Brabham had flat smooth white plastic panels set in to the bodywork and had virtually no cooling effect at all - but you don't know unless you try , - it was an interesting piece of lateral thinking , that made race car design so fascinating in that period - sadly missing today.
The original 'surface cooling' Brabham had flat smooth white plastic panels set in to the bodywork and had virtually no cooling effect at all - but you don't know unless you try , - it was an interesting piece of lateral thinking , that made race car design so fascinating in that period - sadly missing today.
#6
marat
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Posted 01 July 2004 - 18:43
The BT46C was first tested at the German GP practice by Niki Lauda.
#7
GIGLEUX
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