Discovering The Wind Tunnel

[narain fan 0]

Aerodynamics account for around two thirds of a modern Formula One car’s performance”, says Willy Rampf. It is therefore important to give this area the priority it deserves. In its drive to shave off those extra tenths of a second, the BMW Sauber F1 Team can rely on the services of one of Formula One’s most advanced wind tunnels. This facility represents the state of the art in terms of the wind speed it can generate, the size of the test section and models, the dimensions of its rolling road, the model motion system and its data collection capability.

The wind tunnel has a closed-circuit design, a total length of 141 metres and a maximum tube diameter of 9.4 metres. The total weight of the steel elements, including the fan housing, stands at 480 tonnes. The single-stage axial fan with carbon rotor blades, including the motor and housing, weighs in at 66 tonnes. When operating under full load, the main fan uses 3,000 kW of power, enabling wind speeds of up to 300 km/h. In order to eliminate the transmission of vibrations to the building, the axial fan is mounted on vibration dampers fixed to a solid concrete base.

The core element of any wind tunnel is the test section, where the models are exposed to air flow. The extremely generous cross-section and length of the rolling road create optimum conditions for achieving precise results. The tests are carried out with 60-percent models.

The entire rolling road platform can be rotated in order to simulate not only frontal but also side-slip conditions at an angle of up to ten degrees. It is fitted with a steel belt which simulates the relative motion between the vehicle and the road. The moving steel belt reaches the same velocity as the air stream, i.e. up to 300 km/h. Located underneath the moving belt are load cells, which are used to measure wheel lift during the tests.

As a rule, wind tunnels are not the easiest buildings on the eye when viewed from the outside. Things are rather different at Hinwil, through, where the designers also focused on enhancing the exterior qualities of the facility. The building leaves quite an impression, and not just in terms of its dimensions (length 65 m, width 50 m, height 17 m). Indeed, the glass-clad fa

[nojvnof1 0]

with the budget increase, more staff have been hired so as to run more shifts to fully maximise the true potential of the BMWSauber wind tunnel. Two shifts are now being run and it is planned to start running three.

[AutoRacer5 0]

I'm glad someone is taking that great wind tunnel and exploiting it even more of a budget than Sauber had.

[narain fan 0]

with the budget increase, more staff have been hired so as to run more shifts to fully maximise the true potential of the BMWSauber wind tunnel. Two shifts are now being run and it is planned to start running three.

yes,till the start of the 2005 season just 1 shift was run...

however that changed a few months back to two shifts,infact atm the windtunnel is operating 24/7

[nojvnof1 0]

great news.

[Shadow 0]

indeed it is

[F1 FANatic 1]

from the dimentions it apears big enough to run a full scale car, why dont they, that way they dont have to worrie about scaling calculations

[sliderule 0]

Hello to all, excellent forum. On the subject of aerodynamics I am not sure if if this idea is dooable but what I would like to see is for the cars to shed their front and rear wings. Aero should be limited to the bodyparts that cover the mechanical units.

[narain fan 0]

Hello to all, excellent forum. On the subject of aerodynamics I am not sure if if this idea is dooable but what I would like to see is for the cars to shed their front and rear wings. Aero should be limited to the bodyparts that cover the mechanical units.

with the current "tyre rules" and engine power levels ,that would be "dangerous"

too much speed while breaking into a corner ,immeditely following a straight,and too much stress on the brakes

[monza gorilla 1]

Just go back to ground effect. Many of those cars ran without front wings, and the rear wings were much smaller.

For example:

[narain fan 0]

Just go back to ground effect. Many of those cars ran without front wings, and the rear wings were much smaller.

For example:

can you tell me how much Grunt those "engines" had

[monza gorilla 1]

550bhp max. The principle still holds good though. Obviously tyre regs would need to change - something you rightly pointed out.

[cavallino 2]

Just go back to ground effect. Many of those cars ran without front wings, and the rear wings were much smaller.

Thwey'll have to limit it somehow though, drivers were blacking out at the peak of the ground effects era. It might also be a bit dangerous in crashes, since the car loses all downforce if it leaves the ground, not sure if that's dangerous over kerbs.

On the subject of aerodynamics I am not sure if if this idea is dooable but what I would like to see is for the cars to shed their front and rear wings. Aero should be limited to the bodyparts that cover the mechanical units.

Well we're going to have the CDG wing anyway, maybe also limit the width of the front wing, that should take care of things.

[sliderule 0]

Well we're going to have the CDG wing anyway, maybe also limit the width of the front wing, that should take care of things.

We shall see if the CDG wing ever makes it to the grid and if it's going to solve anything. However I've been aware of how F1 works for too long not to know that no matter what dimensions and parameters the aerodynamisists are given they will quickly gain back all the aero lost and eventually find more downforce. That's why I believe removing all wings from the cars is the way to go and force the engineerers to use the bodywork which actually covers the car internals as downforce generating surfaces. Im sure they will find a way to create enough downforce although it might not be as easy as with a wing.

[F1 FANatic 1]

think upside down b-52

they just make the body a giant wing

[sliderule 0]

Think about it, they should have the car become the sleek machines they used to be in the '60 but with all the modern techno stuff. It be awesome.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Good topic,

I'm not an expert on this, the wind tunnel always intrueged me, things can go wrong too...

I remember a team struggling heavily because of data extracted from the wind tunnel, the car was built on that info. The aerodynamics of the car was totally ****ed. Either it was the 2004 Mclaren model, or Toyota 2003...

[Autumnpuma 0]

I'd like to see F1 depend more on mechanical-grip (slicks) than aero-grip (greeblie wings and things). Increased dependency on aero to 'stick' the cars to the track actually limits overtaking. Most overtaking done by drivers (as opposed to passing someone on a straight because you have the fastest engine) is done at the slow corners.

It's right there that your car looses most of it's aero-grip (you need wind running under the wings to give downforce) and when you lose the aero, what do you use to keep yourself out of the kitty-litter? Tires. Unfortunately, the groved monstrosities F1 now uses give drivers almost NO grip at slower speeds. Also, factor in the loss of air when running right behind another car and you have almost NO grip to pass that annoying car in front.

Bring back slicks, limit wing size and shape. Adopt the funny-looking CDG wing. All this together will improve the racing.

Edit: Heh, guess none of that addresses the topic...My point was: use the Wind Tunnel less often and use the driver more often.

[sliderule 0]

agree although as I said above I wouldn't limit wing size, I would get rid of them altogether putting huge slicks on the cars and letting them use all the electronics and techno stuff they come up with, think about it the cars would be sleek as the early 60's machines but full of modern stuff

[Autumnpuma 0]

agree although as I said above I wouldn't limit wing size, I would get rid of them altogether putting huge slicks on the cars and letting them use all the electronics and techno stuff they come up with, think about it the cars would be sleek as the early 60's machines but full of modern stuff

Either way, a return to mechanical grip can only be a good thing.

[c21 0]

from the dimentions it apears big enough to run a full scale car, why dont they, that way they dont have to worrie about scaling calculations

The Sauber wind tunnel is not yet running 24/7 but its not far off.

It can hold a full scale car and often does. Last year they had a full scale c24 before they had a complete race car.

[Autumnpuma 0]

Recently, BMW have claimed a breakthrough of sorts concerning tire compounds (after working with JV on this). If indeed this breakthrough sees a jump in form for the BMW/Sauber team, it would appear what the team needed most was not a multi-million dollar windtunnel but perhaps a skillful driver with intelligent input?

[c21 0]

Recently, BMW have claimed a breakthrough of sorts concerning tire compounds (after working with JV on this). If indeed this breakthrough sees a jump in form for the BMW/Sauber team, it would appear what the team needed most was not a multi-million dollar windtunnel but perhaps a skillful driver with intelligent input?

I heard that a suspension tweak was also key in the performance boost

[Autumnpuma 0]

I heard that a suspension tweak was also key in the performance boost

That would also be a driver-input area.

[c21 0]

That would also be a driver-input area.

Most tweaks have the input from the driver, sure we have telemetary, but we must also listen to the driver.

In the end i suppose he says what feels better or not.

But im not sure the driver is always correct.

Its a team effort.