Road Atlanta aero
Chatting it up Friday with Wren, he mentioned that the FB aero rules allowed for the implementation of awesome diffusers.
Since some of you gearheads are still buried in winter, i figured i'd flash a few shots of the early 2012 crop. I found it interesting that Brandon has lost the "Gomberg Wedge" at least for this event...
Coop was running the 2011 sidepods, but Niki had the new 2012 RFR sidepods... but the car was "under covers" during my photo shoot.
Last edited by Purple Frog; 04.13.12 at 12:24 PM.
Gomberg Wedge...
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Probably should have let the "stormtrooper praise" glow for a few more hours...
Usually, my fans express their gratitude via PM or email, but whatever.
I actually thought post #2 was pretty good. But only understood by a few, the stormtrooper post was probably understood universally.
What changed in the rules to allow us to remove the "Gomberg Wedge"?
Here is the operative definition of body work from Apendix F:Originally Posted by Mike Devins
[FONT=Univers-Bold][FONT=Univers-Bold]Body – [/FONT]
[/FONT][FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]All parts of the car licked by the air stream and situated above the [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]belly / floor with exception of the roll bar or cage. For Formula and Sports [/FONT][FONT=Univers]Racing cars, further exceptions are those units definitely associated with [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]the function of the engine or transmission.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]Or Apendix J - Formula Catagory [/FONT][FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers-Bold][FONT=Univers-Bold]D.8. Bodywork[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]For the purposes of this section, bodywork includes all panels external [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]to the chassis/frame and licked directly by the air stream. This includes [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]panels above or below the floor pan, and the bottoms of any side pods.[/FONT]
[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]The top surface of the diffuser/undertray is licked by the air stream and above the belly pan/floor skid or any other part under the car. The rulling at the run offs only applied to that race. Both definitions are operative.
As I see it the Gomberg Wedges were not and are not required for the cars to be legal.
The rule of how much time Brandon has to get a new diffuser ready for the race. Expect to see them make a comeback.
Always thought one of the biggest opportunities in the FB rules was the allowance for a 150 cm undertray width. You should be able to do a lot to reduce rear tire drag, especially since I don't see a height limitation on the wider bodywork. Looks like someone is starting to think along those lines. Huge gains possible if done right...and not just in drag reduction.
Nathan
Forward Facing Gap
Would this not create a forward facing gap in the bodywork? I do not know if that section in the rules was adopted.
I think there may be a problem with determining what the definition of 'gap' might be.
'Opening' is a bit clearer. 'Gap' not so much.
If it can not be defined in a measurable way, tech inspectors can not rule on it.
Per the latest GCR
There shall be no forward facing gaps or openings in the bodywork
with the exception of those necessary for engine cooling, engine air
inlet, shock, or brake cooling. All bodywork shall be firmly attached
to the chassis.
So do we need the wedge or not and if so will it need to connect to the side pod?
Obviously to me, Coop's 'wedge' is connected to the rest of the bodywork by the upper surface of the diffuser which is above the bottom plane of the car, which is licked by the airstream thus it must be one continous piece of bodywork.
or, something like that.
Gromberg
What is the "Gromberg Wedge"? I assume it's the "kicker" in front of the rear tire...
Where did the cool name Gromberg come from?
Also, how far "north" does the Dixon/Wren full wide floor extend?
Thanks,
Chris
I believe that the wording that caused so much controversy is being modified somewhat, though I suspect not to the degree necessary.
Chris:
"Gromberg" is actually "Dave Gomberg" - a CRB member at the time. The wedge was the tiny white bump that the Stewards forced Brandon and Schweitz to install at the Runoffs.
Nothing - as usual around here, those making the big noise at the time had not read the GCR very closely to understand that what they thought the rule allowed was not the same as what the GCR Glossary definition of "Body" forced the interpretation to be.What changed in the rules to allow us to remove the "Gomberg Wedge"?
Brandon actually had his tire kickers on before we showed up that year. Reducing rear tire drag just seemed like a good idea.
Nathan - the F1000 pro series is not allowing bodywork outboard of the inside edge of the tire behind the rear axle centerline to prevent exactly what you are talking about. Obviously you can still fair in the front half of the tire.
Obviously FB is very different from F1, but here is what Red Bull did in 2008 before the FIA reigned in the aerodynamicists. I think all of this is legal in FB, isn't it?
Nathan
Last edited by nulrich; 01.06.15 at 4:16 PM.
Maybe, maybe not - it depends on compliance to the 1" rule and whatever becomes of the "forward facing gaps" rule and it's interpretation - eg - what physical layout constitutes a "gap".
So if you looked at it from the rear wouldn't it now be a rearward facing gap.
Seems to me that we could protest all dual element wings. They have forward facing gaps with the purpose of enhancing down force. Even an endplate mounted wing is suspect.
The rule is a carry over from FF where wings and down force devices were not wanted. It gets stupid in classes where wings are allowed.
What is the material of choice to fabricate those wider floors like the ones on the red car above? I was looking into 1/4" alum honeycomb panel, Any other ideas. Thank you
I have used a composite of S glass and foam core. The foam core is a paper honey comb that is filled with foam. The foan core is 3/8" and 1/2" inch. I use 5 layers on the bottom and 3 layers of glass on the top. I do use a fine glass weave. I add plywood for reinforcement and hard points. This does have to be vacuumed bagged. I add rub strips where appropriate.
The service life of the under bodies is the same as other body parts. We go through a lot more nose cones than under bodies.
Try these guys http://www.avtcomposites.com/
Steve
Thank you for the info. I think, actually I'm pretty sure that i dont have the set of skills to do what you mentioned above. I see that you didnt comment on using Aluminum honeycomb panels. If you ever do a seminar on making bodywork let me know, I am interested in learning the basics . thanks again. juan marchand
JR - I just made mine a few weeks ago. I've been experimenting with different foams, and I thought I'd give this a try:
In the Home Despot, I bought a sheet of Corning Super-Tough-R insulation. It is real light and real cheap. It's also about 11/16" thick. Well, I peeled off the outer blue and silver layers and ended up with a very light and very flexible foam. It also shrinks when you peel off the layers. The stuff is easily cut and sands real well with 150 paper. I was able to get some nice radii on the outer edges. After cutting to the desired shape, I was able to make the parts all in one long step without vacuum bagging. Lay out the 4-5 layers of S-glass on the bottom allowing extra material to later wrap around the outside and front edges. The inside and rear edges are not wrapped around but top and bottom butted for screwing to the chassis and the diffuser. Then very carefully pick up the entire piece and turn right-side up on a flat table over plastic. Then cover the top with 3 layers of S-glass, then wrap the bottom layers around the front and side edges. If you orient the S-glass fibers correctly, it will easily wrap around the edges.
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