Once again this year, the inevitable Monte Carlo accidents gave away rare shots for technique enthusiasts and for the lenses of the various stables’ spy photographers. The RB19 is talked about for the great complexity of its underbody, perhaps diverting attention from the overall vision. Indeed, while it is undeniable that the bottom of Milton Keynes is the most elaborate of those seen, its richness is both the cause and daughter of the effectiveness of the Red Bull suspensions.
The common lines
To better understand what has been seen in the Principality, a brief introduction on the macro-structures of the flows under the cars is in order. In the most advanced part, the air entering the bottom meets the grille made up of vertical arched strips (A). The bulkheads bend the flows, accompanying them outwards, which, accelerated by the difference in pressure and height, generate aerodynamic load in the center of the car. It is only in the innermost part that the conveyed air can flow up to the rear diffuserand, crossing the entire Venturi canal (B). One of the priorities for the designers is to keep the speed and therefore the energy of the flow high throughout the journey. The vortices generated along the lower edge of the front vertical strips (C) contribute to this objective, the more intense the narrower the curvature.
Red Bull queen for complexity
The RB19 surprised everyone for the richness and variety of geometries under the back, starting from the entry grille. In fact, Ferrari and Mercedes have bands with progressive and almost constant curvature, the exact opposite of Red Bull. On the Milton Keynes coach, vertical bulkheads occur with alternating concave and convex curvatures, but above all the last outward curvature is characterized by a particularly narrow radius (1). The impression is that Red Bull is thus able to better control the position and intensity of the vortices that are generated along the lower edge, keeping the energy of the flows high up to the rear diffuser and increasing the load.
The biggest difference compared to the flat bottom of the previous generation of cars is that aerodynamicists can and must think in three dimensions to design the Venturi channels. The Red Bull designers take full advantage of this possibility, with the bottom of the RB19 dotted with ridges and valleys, with even some sudden indentations in the frame (2). In fact, the regulation limits the use of vortex generators, but by working at the limit of the permitted curvature radii it is possible to accelerate or slow down the flows, create detachment points, generate vortexes and in general distribute the pressure under the bed as you see fit. . Ferrari and Mercedes for their part are presented with a much cleaner and simpler bottom in the geometries, although the W14 also sports the sudden indentations in the chassis at the rear.
The interaction with the suspension
From the outside it is complex, if not impossible, to understand exactly the multitude of aerodynamic events that take place under a car, especially in a complex fund such as Red Bull. In general, however, the world champion team takes advantage of every geometric freedom to find the best compromise between the peak downforce and the consistency of the aerodynamic map. One of the most difficult arts to master on current single-seaters is platform control – platform control – i.e. stabilizing the height from the ground and the inclination of the bottom while driving. This is a fundamental task in order not to suffer from sudden load losses, which instead accuse Ferrari and Mercedes.
The geometry of the bottom is therefore closely linked to the functioning of the suspension unit. A highly stable suspension, with an excellent level of platform control, allows for an underbody design with a much more aggressive approach, seeking more downforce and with fewer concerns about ground clearance sensitivity. Conversely, a bottom designed with less aerodynamic sensitivity ensures more freedom in designing the suspensionand without excessively compromising mechanical grip at low speeds. It is a compromise problem that can be observed from two different perspectives. The geometric complexity of the Red Bull background is both the cause and consequence of the highly effective suspension of the RB19. On the one hand, the high level of platform control it allows the aerodynamics department to be more aggressive in seeking downforce. Vice versa, the reduced sensitivity of the bottom to the heights from the ground, thanks also to the refined pressure plays and vortices in the flow, allows the designers not to compromise the mechanical grip ensured by the suspension.
Dimensions at the rear
In addition to the simplicity of the shapes of Ferrari and Mercedes compared to Red Bull, another major area of differentiation is the rear diffuser, conditioned by the overall dimensions of the gearbox (3). The RB19 is also very slim in this area, benefiting not only from the miniaturized transmission. Indeed, Red Bull mounts a push-rod rear suspensionwith the shock absorber spring unit installed in the upper part, thus facilitating the work of reducing the overall dimensions near the diffuser.
The SF-23 instead stands out for the sudden interruption of the body in the lower part, with an elbow in the very narrow and angular speaker. Finally, Mercedes is the car with the most traditional architecture, limited by the relatively large overall dimensions of the transmission. One wonders if this does not depend in the slightest part on the atypical choice of gear ratios, shorter than the competition. With higher torques involved, mechanical miniaturization becomes more complex and with it the work of the aerodynamic department.
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