Williams FW33 – New lower downforce front wing

  

       A new lower downforce front wing spec was put under test in Canada but both drivers were forced to abandon it in wet slippery race conditions choosing the higher downforce  former spec which ensured better grip . The new spec was again tested in Valencia but  yet not used in race .

       The new spec is totally new speaking for both the endplates and flaps .  It is still triple profiled with the main flap to be raised higher close to the endplates and to be half length slotted (1) compared to the fully slotted former design .Another change took place to the extension of the endplate horizontal section under the flaps . The new one is shorter and features an additional L-shaped element (2) . The endplate is simpler and lacks both the extra low height outer vertical  fence (3) and the triangular horizontal fin at the rear top of the endplate (4) . Finally the flaps are reshaped having  less curvy inner tips (5) and a shorter flap separator (6) .

          All  changes aim to accelerate air flowing under the flaps close to the endplates to boost downforce production close to endplates (thus the inner section of the third flap remains higher than the inner section like the old spec => https://formula1techandart.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/williams-fw33-separated-flap-front-wing-concept/ ) so as to counterside the less downforce produced by the new flaps which by their side offer a cleaner airflow towards the car body behind .

Williams FW33-Forth and back with the new exhaust-floor package

 Old configuration 

       As expected Williams joined the group of teams to copy Red Bull floor exhaust outlet concept . The extended exhaust pipes are now driven towards the diffuser and housed inside the floor to maximize the effect of the hot emissions on the diffuser . The revised rear exhaust-floor package was fitted only in Barichello car during Chinese free runs . The system did not pay off the expectations of the team because it caused floor burning and as a result of it degradation of car’s aero performance .

  new configuration

 

        The new exhaust outlets were gone under revisions to overcome the floor overheating issues and  put under new test in Catalunya with the debut of the new package in race conditions taking place two races after in rainy Canada. Nevertheless for the next race in hot Valencia the cars were reverted back to the old package .

 

 

 

 

Williams FW33-Separated flap front wing concept

 old spec

 

        Williams since Melbourne divided the upper flap into two separated sections , an outer section close to the endplates and a second larger inner  one . The outer section is supported onto the middle flap via a flap separator close to the neighboring inner section and is adjustable as an independent element .

   new spec 

       This clever approach gives freedom to mechanics to adjust differently the attack angle of the two sections , depending on each track special downforce needs . Of course it is more beneficial to raise the angle of the outer section to gain downforce as the disrupted air will head onto the tyre profile behind the flap . On the contrary raising excessively the angle of the inner section maximizes the turbulence caused to the airflow  interacting with the flap which then heads towards  the under surface of the  floor and around the sidepod bottoms , something totally unwanted .

          Rookie Maldonado usually prefers to race with a wing having an inner section of a bit higher attack angle for more front grip compared to  Barrichello . Noticeably till the Spanish race the angle difference between the two sections was rather small or even close to zero but in Catalunya both drivers raced with a distinctive raised inner section for the first time . This allowed the team to reduce the length of the tab along the trailing edge of the second flap in favor of  cleaner air behind the flap . 

 

 

Williams FW33 – Front wing evolution from launch to Turkey

Launch

 

   As all teams are accustomed to so Williams revised its front wing before season kick start in Australia with the new version to have new endplates , which offered drag reduction . Barrichello even tested a new front wing spec ( the third version since launch) , an option not chosen for Melbourne  race though. This was about to change in Malaysia where both Williams drivers raced the new wing which offered even less drag created by the tyres profile at very long twin straights of Sepang circuit .

      Williams seem to sunk deeper and deeper in crisis of performance lack , with Sam Michael stepping down from Technical director at the end of season . For that reason and to reverse negative climate major upgrades are expected soon from the team  including a new diffuser along with a new exhaust blown diffuser configuration that will improve laptime by a significant amount

 

Barcelona , last pre-season test and Melbourne

Williams front wing endplates are mainly consisted of three parts . The first one (in yellow) was revised  in Melbourne to provide a larger volume for the air flowing inside the endplate surface , reducing drag. Furthermore the additional triangular horizontal fin at the rear top of the endplate improves further airflow management close to the wheels profile .

  3^rd  Version tested by Barrichello at season debut at Melbourne and being used since Sepang

The wing has an additional outer mini fence bending outwards  ( yellow arrow) and a deep cut at the bottom of the first endplate element  (marked in red arrow) to encourage further drag reduction .

 

Williams FW33 – Solving rear wing vibration issues

 

The unusual and innovative rear suspension assemble and in particular the fact that the upper wishbones are attached directly onto the wing’s pillar and the lack of any support of the beam wing onto the rear crash structure caused excessive vibration to the wing , something totally unwanted because it dramatically reduces aero efficiency of the car . To decrease wing’s lateral movement and provide extra stiffness Williams supported the beam wing  onto the pillar ( in yellow ) via a connector .Furthermore in Melbourne ,  to totally overcome any vibration issue , the endplates were mounted onto the diffuser roof via single metallic pillars (lower illustration ,red arrow)  . In Williams case the endplate support have no aero contribution as happens in Mc Laren case .

 

 

 

Williams FW33 – nose details

 

The oval hole at the nose  tip helps to cool the  electronics housed inside the nose box  . For Williams case the hole has a “W” style protective frame , which stands for Williams Team , to prevent small hazardous fragments ( like little debris ) from entering in .

 

 

 

Williams FW33 – Innovative compact rear end

Williams managed to construct the smallest ever 7-speed gearbox even though the gearbox endurance is now increased from 4 to 5 races this year . This aggressive structural approach gave permission to aero dynamists to construct a fabulous low and compact rear car end , the smallest in 2011 grid . The target is to clean dramatically the airflow passing over the rear beam wing and the diffuser roof  causing a serious increase in downforce production .

The ultra low rear end effected the rear suspension design as well . The new suspension  is totally new and a pull rod in contrast to the previous push rod with the top wishbones ( in yellow) to attach directly onto the rear wing’s single pillar , something innovative for F1 .  The differential (in orange ) is also very inlcined because of the low gearbox line ‘

Talking about the double diffuser ban Sam Michael said  : “Not only can you not open any holes between the reference and step planes, you must have continuous material through all lateral and longitudinal sections. The scope for developing anything on the diffuser is limited, so we’re looking at the centre, rear and front of the floor, as well as the sides of the floor and the little area around the tyre spat, all of which are still free.”

Williams FW33 – Nose vanes

Winter testing version

Under the nose there is a pair of vanes , the pattern of which looks similar to the ones used by Ferrari and  Red Bull last season . The purpose is to accelerate and  “format” the air flowing under the high nose box and inside the pillars zone towards the sidepods . A cleaner and better defined airstream  towards radiators guarantee a good cooling , a major key factor for a good  reliability .

The vanes function is directly linked to the way air flows around the sidepods  ,  the bargeboards and diffuser , so a possible aerodynamic change later this season on the later mentioned elements might  trigger a change on vanes as well .

Williams FW33 – Evaluating aero efficiency at Jerez

Williams used a full set of pitot tubes arranged  in two parallel lines connected to the chasssis front side just in front of the sidepods inlets to gather valuable data about wing pressure and air speed . The top line is to give data about airflow passing over the tyre profile and towards the sidepod roof and the bottom to examine air turbulence and blockage caused by the tyre itself and air flowing through the inner and outer surface of the tyre and how it affects car cooling .

Pitot tubes are not new in Formula 1 and are a useful instrument to help team  evaluate real track aero efficiency and compare it to wind tunnel data .

Williams FW33 – hot air exits

The FW33 has a very slim and short rear end  for aerodynamic reasons . Mechanics managed to keep the rear tight because of the new very compact gearbox and also by the way the exhaust blows and the hot air exits  from behind . In specific there are till now ( Valencia Test ) three slots to evacuate hot air , a pair spotted at  both cockpit sides (No 1) , one small triangular outlet where the engine ends (No 2) and lastly two quite large openings where the bodywork meets the gearbox exactly inside the floor exhausts (No 3) . The No3 outlets seems to work in conjunction with the exhausts as they blow hot air onto the diffuser roof central section while the exhausts onto the diffuser sides .

Of course it is Winter time and teams cope with chilly weather conditions . At hotter races like Bahrain and Malaysia more cooling options will rise for all teams  . I predict  for Williams  to enlarge the outlet No 2 a lot to blow a great portion of hot air between the wing flaps and beam element .

In red the exhaust

In orange the hot air outlets

Williams FW33 – Aiming return to glorious past days with new innovative car

 

Williams presented the 2011 F1 contender , the FW33 at Valencia in 1^st February 2011 . The new FW33 was painted in an interim dark blue livery , something Williams accustomed to before launching its normal paint theme .

Looking FW33 from the front gives you the impression that little have changed on the car since last year but a side and rear view of the car proves that the team aggressively designed and built the new car

The FW33 launched at Valencia is regarded to be a “launch” spec as many serious upgrade packages will complete and improve the car’s performance and Sam Michael , Williams technical director , even believes that during season  will manage to gain back any aerodynamic loss caused by the new 2011 regulations  .

 

Front zone – Nose

 

At the front little changes took place , the nose box is a bit wider and higher than before,  with winglets ala “hammerhead shark” pattern ( see  link  https://formula1techandart.wordpress.com/2010/09/18/williams-fw32-nose-cone-details/ ) inherited by the F32 and a front wing also derived from the FW32 .However the nose pillars are now inclined forward to push the front wing away from the nose cone aiming  a cleaner airflow onto the wing’s flaps .

 

 

Middle zone

 

The new oversized in the front sidepods due to KERS re-installation with a tighter  bodyline closing to the car centre  offer a different airstream towards the car rear and thus the team had to redesign both the bargeboard and the panel shape .

 

 

Major changes occurred at the airbox zone with the engine inlet to be now circular instead of triangular and lot of bodywork to be removed behind the driver’s helmet to reduce frontal surface and hence drag . To ensure structural stiffness  a pair of pillars was added . Lastly the second inlet which helped to cool the gearbox radiator located  behind the T-shaped camera , is now gone from the FW33 .

 

 

Rear zone

 

The team managed to construct the smallest ever 7-speed gearbox even though the gearbox endurance is now increased from 4 to 5 races this year . This aggressive structural approach gave permission to aero dynamists to construct a fabulous low and compact rear car end , the smallest in 2011 grid . The target is to clean dramatically the airflow passing over the rear beam wing and the diffuser roof  causing a serious increase in downforce production .

 

The ultra low rear end effected the rear suspension design as well . The new suspension  is totally new and a pull rod in contrast to the previous push rod with the top wishbones ( in yellow) to attach directly onto the rear wing’s single pillar , something innovative for F1 .  The differential (in orange ) is also very inclined because of the low gearbox line ‘

 

Talking about the double diffuser ban Sam Michael said : : “Not only can you not open any holes between the reference and step planes, you must have continuous material through all lateral and longitudinal sections. The scope for developing anything on the diffuser is limited, so we’re looking at the centre, rear and front of the floor, as well as the sides of the floor and the little area around the tyre spat, all of which are still free.”

 

Engine – KERS

The Cosworth engine continues to power Williams for a second season in row . As regards KERS Williams will eventually use a Battery charged unit instead of the flywheel Williams Hybrid Power (WHP) . The components are entirely inside the car’s survival cell, below the fuel tank because as team said they did not want to compromise any of the sidepod area for aerodynamics .

 

 

The make enough room inside the monocoque  to house  KERS batteries and components without effecting a lot the sidepods , the team lengthened the front chassis volume quite a lot , a change visually spotted with a yellow arrow  .

 

 

Tyres – Wheels

 

Pirelli replaced Bridgestone while the wheels are supplied by RAYS and are made of forged magnesium alloy

Williams FW33 Cosworth – Technical Specifications

 

Chassis construction
Monocoque construction fabricated from carbon epoxy and honeycomb composite structure, surpassing FIA impact and strength requirements

Front suspension
Carbon fibre double wishbone arrangement, with composite toelink and pushrod activated springs and anti-roll bar

Rear suspension
Double wishbone and pullrod activated springs and anti-roll bar

Transmission
Williams F1 seven speed seamless sequential semi-automatic shift plus reverse gear. Gear selection electro-hydraulically actuated

Clutch
Carbon multi-plate

Dampers
Williams F1

Wheels
RAYS forged magnesium

Tyres
Pirelli, Fronts: 325mm wide, Rears: 375mm wide

Brake system
6 piston callipers all round, carbon discs and pads

Steering
Williams F1 power assisted rack and pinion

Fuel system
Kevlar-reinforced rubber bladder

Electronic systems
FIA standard electronic control unit

Cooling system
Aluminium oil, water, and gearbox radiators

Cockpit
Driver six point safety harness with 75mm shoulder straps & HANS system, removable anatomically formed carbon fibre seat covered in Alcantara

Motive power
Cosworth 2.4L V8, 900 V angle engine, pneumatic valve train. Fuel management and ignition systems by Cosworth. Engine materials include block and pistons in aluminium, crankshaft in steel billet, connecting rods in titanium

Weight
640kg with driver, camera and ballast

Dimensions
Overall width: 1800mm

 

 

 

credit : Williams F1 Team