welcome
Posted on 08/05/2009 7:57:45 PM PDT by Chode
i don’t have tv so i watch all the races on line no matter what channel they are on here... http://www.vipbox.tv/sports/formula-1.html
if you have a big screen tv you could prolly slave it to the video out on your pc
see post 1181
.
welcome
Flow Visualization Paint or Flow-Viz
When McLaren ran “Flow-Viz” paint for first time on their car in testing last year (2010), the F1 world sees it for the first time. But in fact, teams have been using this solution for years in privacy of their wind tunnels to show surface aerodynamic flows, but this year (2011) even Renault, Lotus, Red Bull and Ferrari bring it to the track and start to use it openly and a large amount of green, blue or white fluid was splattered all over the cars.
But there is no mystery. That was a special liquid placed onto the car to help with the aerodynamics. Engineers know that work in wind tunnel and CFD programs can give you great results, but nothing can compare with real life situation on track. To better understand air flow over aero surfaces in this real life situation, teams employ what is call „Flow-Viz“ paint, or „Flow-Visualization“ paint. Details like direction and attached\non-attached flow can be observed. But this is only surface airflow and this is not the entire story when it comes to aerodynamics, so “Flow Viz” is only one solution for measuring and observing aero on track.
Basically, they put it on, and before it gets chance to dry the car is flying around the circuit. As it does so, the air flow across the car moves the paint around, where it subsequently dries and shows detailed air flow patterns across the car. It is to confirm wind tunnel and CFD findings. Formula 1 teams don't like to use this method very often because in this way all other teams can see real situation on your bodywork air flow management. If team have a problem with aerodynamic components, everybody will se it, if there is some secret solution in airflow management, everybody will know it. It's enough to take photos of ones car and analyze it with your aerodynamicist and here you are. Basically, my opinion is that if team resorting to flow visualization paint so openly and in front of so many spying eyes leads me to think they're really having some problems with their aero, or there is some fundamental work to be done for further understanding in aero development.
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McLaren during F-Duct testing 2010. You can clearly see slot in rear wing flap on picture above, and air streams around it. |
But what is this paint?
Paraffin-based light solution applied it to the car. The solution is light enough to flow over the car, drying quickly to determine the airflow over the bodywork.
A surface of a component of the car is coated with a pigmented (preferably a contrasting phthalocyanine) or transparent oil based paint of non-gelling characteristics, and with a specific viscosity chosen in way that paint will not spill or move when car is stationary. Sometime, if team need to make longer stint with “Flow-Viz” applied, they can apply additional layer of wetting agent to prevent to fast drying of paint. Particles of a dry phthalocyanine dye are then uniformly sprinkled onto the coating of the paint using a dry brush or an air blower depending on the accessibility of the surfaces under test. Dye particles must be soluble in the oil based paint. Optionally, wetting agent such as Linolic Acid can be applied to ensure cohesion of the oil based paint and dye. After that you need to pass an air flow over the component, mean, you go out and drive your car.
As a flow of air is passed over the solid component, this causes the dye particles to move across the coating of the paint under the influence of the air flow. The dye particles that come into contact with the coating of the paint, dissolve in the same time in the oil as they are moved, to leave a trail on the surface of the coating. This results in a reduction in the size of the particles due to their dissolution. Air flow produces a pattern of contrasting trails on the surface of the coating which permanently records and highlights the fluid flow distribution pattern for later analysis. Comparison of the relative movements of the dye particles provides an indication of the relative strengths of the air flow acting on the surfaces of the component under test. Aerodynamicist can see the contours drawn by the oil on the side-wall of rear wing support or wing element itself. The intense stripes of colored oil behind the wing cascade indicate the zones in which the velocity is higher.
This happens because the oil, coming from upstream, is feeding the wing element section downstream. In this case the zones painted with a thinner layer of oil represent the zone of lower velocity and the wakes. The clean zone on the forward part of the suction side of the airfoils shows the effect of velocity gradient on the paint path. There the flow accelerates strongly and has an intense transversal component. It is possible to see that, in between the two airfoils, the main stripe of oil draws very clearly the air path.
Looking at the oil stripes on tested elements it is possible to see if they follow trajectory in accordance with the CFD simulations or wind tunnel test.
Picture down was taken on Saturday morning practice at Korean Grand Prix 2011 as Ferrari tested its new front wing planed for next season, with a load of aero paint sprayed over it.
ouch... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/22083547
Sir Stirling Moss says women lack mental aptitude for Formula 1
Former British racing driver Sir Stirling Moss believes women do not have the mental skills to race competitively in Formula 1.
Only five women have raced in grands prix and only one has scored a point. Moss, 83, told BBC Radio 5 live: "I think they have the strength, but I don't know if they've got the mental aptitude to race hard, wheel-to-wheel."
But F1 hopeful Susie Wolff, 30, responded: "I completely disagree with him. It makes me cringe hearing that."
Italian Lella Lombardi was the most prolific female F1 driver, starting 12 races in the 1970s and scoring half a point.
The last woman to enter an F1 grand prix was Italian Giovanna Amati, but she failed to qualify for three races at the start of the 1992 season.
Arguably the most successful woman currently competing in motorsport is American Danica Patrick.
The 31-year-old, who now races in Nascar and took pole at the 2013 Daytona 500, is a former IndyCar Series rookie of the year, holds the record for the most consecutive races finished in the series and in 2008 became the first woman to win an IndyCar race.
Wolff is the latest woman to try and break into Formula 1. The Scot is currently in her second season as development driver for Williams.
Sixteen-time F1 race winner Moss, who was speaking in a BBC Radio 5 live special on women in F1, which airs on Monday at 2130 BST, added that he was "not surprised" there have been so few women in F1. "The trouble is, when you're racing, it's pretty tiring," said Moss, who is widely regarded as the greatest driver never to have won the F1 world championship.
"We had three-hour races in those days. You needed tremendous concentration. Now races are only one hour and 10 minutes."
Moss feels women have the necessary physical strength to race but thought they would be lacking mentally.
"We've got some very strong and robust ladies, but, when your life is at risk, I think the strain of that in a competitive situation will tell when you're trying to win," he said.
"The mental stress I think would be pretty difficult for a lady to deal with in a practical fashion. I just don't think they have aptitude to win a Formula 1 race."
Responding to Moss, Wolff told BBC Sport: "I don't know where to start after hearing that interview. I've got a lot of respect for Sir Stirling and what he achieved, but I think we're in a different generation.
"For Moss, it's unbelievable that a female would drive a Formula 1 car, which is fair enough. In the days they were racing, every time they stepped into a car, they were putting their life on the line. But F1 is much more technologically advanced, it's much safer than it was."
F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who appears on the BBC Radio 5 live special with Williams F1 deputy team principal Claire Williams, says there is "not really" a chance of a woman joining the sport in the near future.
"We welcomed it. We thought the fact ladies came into the sport as a new group of people was a jolly good thing. She [De Filippis] was treated as just another competitor."
"There's no reason why a woman shouldn't be able to compete with a man," Ecclestone said.
"Unfortunately, the way things are, I don't imagine a lady will ever get the chance to drive a Red Bull or a Ferrari.
"The only chance is with a lesser team - and they only take someone if they come with a good sponsor. Regretfully, the problem is that many ladies who could compete probably as well as the guys won't get chance."
Wolff responded: "I agree with him. Ferrari and Red Bull take best drivers on the market at the time to go out and win world championships.
"I'm in a position where I'm just trying to get into F1, but I do believe that it's possible for a women to get in, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this."
Moss is right...in a way. Women may not lack intellectual capacity, but there are studies that show that men have inherently superior ability to track other objects, and predict their future locations all while taking into account their own motion. Sounds kind of like the skill set I’d be looking for in an F1 driver.
Has to do with hunting and fighting skills men developed over millenia.
I expect women can do okay in auto racing, if they want. But I believe fewer women are attracted to such activities.
100% and Wolff is a joke, she thinks she can START driving F1 at 30??? that's hysterical... pun intended
F1's last-placed team at the end of this season will earn no prize money, announced boss Bernie Ecclestone.
There are 11 teams in F1 in 2013 and Ecclestone hopes the new move will add more excitement at the bottom.
"It's more incentive to get going and get into the top 10, like football where you can go up and down," he said.
Payments for 11th and 12th place (whilst HRT competed in the sport) were brought in during 2010 to help new teams with smaller budgets.
But the Concorde Agreement that governs F1 finance expired at the end of last year and a new one has yet to be signed by all parties. Ecclestone has agreed separate interim individual commercial agreements with all of the teams except Marussia.
Marussia finished second last out of 12 teams in 2012, but currently sit 10th after four races, ahead of Caterham.
Marussia confirmed that they have not been offered an agreement by the sport's commercial rights holder, CVC - who is represented by Ecclestone - but Marussia chief executive Graeme Lowdon said: "It is our understanding that none of the parties are making any public comment about the financial discussions relating to a new Concorde Agreement and on that basis we would prefer not to make any comment."
The Concorde Agreement, which would need to be signed by all 11 teams and the FIA, the sport's governing body, would replace the interim agreements if it comes in.
Private equity fund CVC is pressing ahead with plans to float F1 on the Singapore stock exchange later this year.
little tyrant...
100%... wonder how long till the first team drops out?
I’m always amazed that the “little guys” of F1 seem to be able to soldier on, despite the stunning budgets required.
almost miraculous, and now they will have to do it with even LESS money... he thinks less money will help spur their development? a real genius that bernie is
Maybe we can have 2005 USGPs in every race, six cars on the grid, no interest in the race, everyone gets a point.
What an idiot.
100%
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/22425416
Pirelli will supply Formula 1 teams with an extra set of tyres for practice sessions at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
The idea is to ensure leading drivers run for the entire session rather than waiting for others to clean the track and make it more suitable for effective running.
The genesis of the plan was to make the tyres available only for rookie, non-race drivers to help them gain experience.
But this has been abandoned in favour of all drivers getting the extra set.
Pirelli said the additional tyres would be of a “prototype hard compound”.
Initially, the plan is only in place for the Spanish Grand Prix. Pirelli said it would see if it ensured teams spent longer on the track before making a decision on the rest of the season.
Pirelli has already announced it has made a small tweak to the regular ‘hard’ compound tyre for the Spanish race, which will make the rubber slightly more durable and lower its operating temperature.
However the firm has resisted pressure from world champions Red Bull to make all its tyres more durable in the wake of concerns drivers were not able to push to the limits of the car throughout a race distance for fear of using the tyres up too quickly.
James Allison to step down as Lotus technical director
Lotus technical director James Allison, one of the most highly regarded design engineers in F1, is to leave the team.
He has been replaced by Nick Chester, who has been promoted from his role as head of vehicle performance.
It is not known which team Allison will join after leaving Lotus.
Allison has had an offer from McLaren, which he is understood to have turned down, and has also been approached by Ferrari, Williams and Mercedes.
His departure is a blow to Lotus, whose driver Kimi Raikkonen is second in the world championship to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel ahead of the fifth race of the season in Spain this weekend.
Team boss Eric Boullier said: "Nick is already directly involved with this and next year's cars, ensuring a smooth transition which has been under way for some time."
Boullier said Chester was already working on the design for the team's 2014 car, which will be built to new regulations that include the introduction of 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines with extensive energy recovery, to replace this year's 2.4-litre normally aspirated V8s. Boullier said: "He assumes his new position at a tremendously exciting time for the sport. The 2014 technical regulation changes present many challenges, while our current position of second place in both the constructors' and drivers' world championships mean we cannot lose sight of this year's development battle.
"Nick really has his work cut out, but we know he is more than capable of handling the tasks ahead."
Allison's future has been the subject of fevered speculation in F1 for some weeks.
He has been linked to all the top teams - Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes - as well as Williams. But a Red Bull source dismissed the notion that Allison would be joining them and BBC Sport understands Allison has rejected an offer from McLaren.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo was asked on Wednesday, at a corporate presentation at the company's base in Maranello, whether there was any truth in talk of Allison return. "It's just a rumour," he said.
Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff told BBC Sport that Allison had been approached by Niki Lauda, the team's non-executive director, during the winter but insisted that it was a "historical discussion", appearing to rule out his appointment.
Mercedes have already signed former McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe, who will join the team in 2014 in a senior technical role overseeing the team's current structure.
Lowe is earmarked as a long-term successor to team principal Ross Brawn, but the two may well work together for some time as Lowe is faded in and Brawn edges towards retirement.
Wolff said that Lauda had approached Allison last winter as part of his fact-finding about which personnel might be available as Mercedes assessed its options for improving the team's performance.
Wolff said: "He started to speak to the good guys and asking them what their current employment situation was, and one was James Allison.
"That was a historical discussion, which I think was December, and this is when I came in and we stopped all that."
If Allison does move to Ferrari, it is unclear what role he would take. The team's current technical director is Pat Fry, who has been in his role for less than two years.
Fry and Allison have previously been colleagues, at the Benetton team in the 1990s.
Allison worked at Ferrari for five years from 2000, the period during which they dominated F1 with Michael Schumacher, before moving back to Renault - renamed Lotus in 2012 - in 2005 as deputy technical director.
He was in that role when Fernando Alonso won his two titles for the team in 2005 and 2006 before being promoted to technical director in 2009.
Red Bull, they may drop Mark at end of year.
Ferrari, Massa has picked up his pace, maybe on the bubble and knows this is it! So Ferrari will play the Kimi card against Massa.
McLaren - maybe..........
Williams - definite maybe
and last
Force India - this is an interesting play.
But now we have this story
James Allison closing in on Ferrari move, but no deal yet
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107273
all valid possibilities, intrigue so early in the season...
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