Ferrari F2012 – Frenzy exhaust evolution

           From the very early testing, Ferrari understood that one of the weak spots of the F2012 was the exhausts. Due to new 2012 regulations all teams forced  to move away the exhaust outlets from the floor level .However the ardent desire to take advantage of the exhaust blown effect yet remained strong and thus Ferrari  designed the exhausts to blow through the zone between the rear wing endplates and the wheel . The hot emissions bent progressively downwards as they travel to the rear of the car and seal the diffuser sides improving its efficiency . Another interesting thing is the common bodywork opening for exhaust pipes and radiators cooling exit .

        At least  nine different configurations tested  from Launch to Melbourne and are all summarized in the illustration above  . The launch exhaust abandoned very quickly because it caused tarnished dots on the bodywork around the exhaust outlets,indicating overheating .Since then the exhaust zone suffered several changes before Melbourne . The revisions that took place include :

–              Horizontally cut exhaust pipes ( specs  B, C and D )

–              Cuts on the bodywork ( specs C, D, E, F, G and H )  to both improve cooling and the strengthen the  downwash effect of the emissions

–              Carbon heat protective patches on the bodywork ( specs C, D, F, G, H and I )

–              Shifting of the exhaust outlet angle initially upwards and then inwards

      First steps in exhausts evolution  obliged the team to even place carbon heat shields on the bottom outer surface of the rear wing endplates for protection. Finally numerous thermometer stickers placed  on the suspension wishbones and car body to investigate overheating issues displayed by each different exhaust system tested.

Jerez test on February
visualization of gas flow in red,
yellow arrows point out the thermometer stickers

Jerez test on February
smaller heat shield

     The target for Ferrari with this continuous and frenzy exhaust evolution was  cooling improvement, car protection from heat and rear down-force gains .Nevertheless the quest of extra more never fades away .

 

 

 

 

Related articles

• First sight: Ferrari Revised Mugello Exhaust (scarbsf1.wordpress.com)

Sauber C31 – ducted rear floor

ducted floor , additional gills are pointed with yellow arrow . It was tested also at Barcelona on March

       Sauber  rushed to optimize further the rear end of the C31 and raced at Melbourne a ducted floor in front of the tyre profile . Ducted rear floor is not a new idea in Formula 1 and was a common feature a couple years ago . The duct is within FIA technical regulations because it is situated outside of the area of the  900 mm wide floor continuous surface , something that  article 3.7.6  imposes . It is believed that the duct feeds the diffuser with air coming above the floor level , air that is strengthened further  by exhaust gases that bent downwards due to the special shape of the bodywork behind the exhaust pipes (down-wash effect) .

 A logical step forward to enhance the effect of the design would be the following

–          two channeled sculpted bodywork ,behind the pipe , with the outer channel to expand further outwards .The expansion of the channel without dividing it into two would ruin somehow the direction control of the dpwnwash effect

–          new vertical floor fence with a benting inwards leading edge

likely development scenario

       Finally Sauber paid extra attention to the car’s cooling efficiency at very hot and moist Sepang circuit and added two slits close to the exhaust area , pointed with a yellow arrow in first illustration .

Related articles

• Sauber C31 – Rear end improvements at Jerez test (formula1techandart.wordpress.com)

Many updates on Sauber C31 before Melbourne

The blue labels in the photos above are temperature indication stickers , used by teams to track down temperature along the route of the hot gases .

       In addition to changes concerning C31 cooling, many other revisions took place on the car before Melbourne . The rear silhouette of the sidepod  tunnels was heavily modified after launch at Jerez test . The new longer tunnels expand smoothly to reach floor level  in a such way to guide more drastically the exhaust gases towards the  inside area of  the rear wheel profile and reach the diffuser . To enhance the effect further,  a channel is sculpted behind the periscope exhausts and later at Barcelona test on February   a vertical fence was added on the floor along the route of the hot gases.

         Speaking for the rear floor morphology , it was reshaped twice with the first revision to take place at Jerez alongside with the sidepod expansion to the rear and the second revision at Barcelona on March with the trapezoid channel in front of the rear wheel to be replaced by a small duct .

Launch,
trapezoid channel in front of the rear wheel

Barcelona on February,
Floor vertical fence in orange

Barcelona on March, ducted floor   

 

 

      A promising update for the team which took place also at Barcelona on March , was the connection of the sidepod panel  to the chassis via  a wavy winglet to force air flowing  above the  sidepod profile to follow the shape outline of the sidepod  stronger  and increase the downwash effect of exhaust gases to the diffuser .

 

Sidepod panel winglets

    Some interesting but important details on C31 are also the following

-a small duct , already present since launch , permits a small portion of air flowing under the floor to find exit above the floor level instead of bleeding to the sides .In some occasions the duct was partially covered with tape

– a  cooling duct for KERS components is spotted at left side only of the sidepod bottoms

-briefly Sauber tested a set of gills around the launch spec periscope exhausts

floor duct

KERS cooling duct

gills around periscope exhaust area

Related articles

• Sauber C31-Sidepod panels (formula1techandart.wordpress.com)
• Sauber C31 – cooling options tested during Winter testing (formula1techandart.wordpress.com)
• Sauber C31 – Rear end improvements at Jerez test (formula1techandart.wordpress.com)
• Sauber C31 – rear end details (formula1techandart.wordpress.com)
• Sauber C31 – Australian front wing (formula1techandart.wordpress.com)