I haven't joined the conversation about the flexi wings because I didn't have any damned idea of what was really going on. Martin Witmarsh said that McLaren didn't understand it either, but apparently they have figured it out.
It is the bib stays: the setup includes a segmented plank, stay dampers, and sliding splitter attachments that allow the nose to droop. That is one of the secrets to RBR's success: their nose droops.
The bib is the hanging structural element that supports the splitter. The splitter is a piece made of heavy alloys and is one of the primary placements of ballast.
Witmarsh said, "The [FIA] requirements for Monza really will end what has been a misnomer: the bodywork is intended to be attached rigidly with no degrees of freedom and when you look at bib stays that hinge, buckle, slide and have dampers, it seems a bit bizarre to me."
Wow, that says a lot.
Ross Brawn suggests that the new scrutineering procedures at Monza will reveal an illegal floor on RBR, and perhaps Ferrari, and that fact may change the end of season run to the championship. Here is another pic:
It has been suggested that if the nose could droop due to underbody flexibility, then the wing could pass all of the requied dead load tests. The nose could droop due to underbody flexibility but would go undected as no tests are currently employed to detect floor flexing that far forward.
The old flexi floor controversy was directed to effects on the difusser via mid-floor flexing and had nothing to do with the front wing. My my!
Wow! Very interesting!
Posted by: Jake | August 28, 2010 at 11:50 PM
Great detective work Flood
Fascinating article and pics.You can clearly see how this would allow the front wing to run so much lower and ideed run below the reference plane which is clearly illegal.
The bit I find dificult to comprehend is why the other teams could not work this out for themselves.They are after all stuffed full of very highly paid engineers and aerodynamacists who should have spotted this much earlier.
The question is "what happens now".If indeed both RBR and Ferrari's results have been gained by using an illegal car will their previous results be annulled.?
Posted by: sportsman | August 29, 2010 at 01:21 AM
Fascinating article and pics.You can clearly see how this would allow the front wing to run so much lower and ideed run below the reference plane which is clearly illegal. http://www.hotfilemediafire.com
Posted by: Earny | September 05, 2010 at 04:53 AM
These devices where banned from Malaysia onwards 2007!!!
Did you just trawl the F1 technical website for this nonense once you heard the term 'flexi-floor'.
Posted by: Drez | September 05, 2010 at 06:44 AM
They wern't outlawed. The Ferrari spring and all other splitter support devices had to be removed before the floors were tested. Then they reinstall them.
And Whitmarsh said, "The [FIA] requirements for Monza really will end what has been a misnomer: the bodywork is intended to be attached rigidly with no degrees of freedom and when you look at bib stays that hinge, buckle, slide and have dampers, it seems a bit bizarre to me."
Maybe you should ask him about the nonsense.
Posted by: flood1 | September 05, 2010 at 12:22 PM