F1 Floor Plan

[Greig]

I take it the rules govern the dimensions of the floors on the cars, pretty sure they do, as we can see here the bodywork is very sleek but the floor is kept wide, my question is why do the FIA govern this area and what would be the effect if they reduced the floor to match the bodywork?

[Tommy_F]

Here are those rules:

3.13 Skid block :

3.13.1 Beneath the surface formed by all parts lying on the reference plane, a rectangular skid block, with a
50mm radius (+/-2mm) on each front corner, must be fitted. This skid block may comprise more than one
piece but must :

a) extend longitudinally from a point lying 330mm behind the front wheel centre line to the centre line
of the rear wheels ;
b) be made from an homogeneous material with a specific gravity between 1.3 and 1.45 ;
c) have a width of 300mm with a tolerance of +/- 2mm ;
d) have a thickness of 10mm with a tolerance of +/- 1mm ;
e) have a uniform thickness when new ;
f) have no holes or cut outs other than those necessary to fit the fasteners permitted by 3.13.2 or
those holes specifically mentioned in g) below ;
g) have seven precisely placed holes the positions of which are detailed in Drawing 1. In order to
establish the conformity of the skid block after use, its thickness will only be measured in the four
50mm diameter holes and the two forward 80mm diameter holes ;
Four further 10mm diameter holes are permitted provided their sole purpose is to allow access to
the bolts which secure the Accident Data Recorder to the survival cell ;
h) be fixed symmetrically about the centre line of the car in such a way that no air may pass between it
and the surface formed by the parts lying on the reference plane.

3.13.2 Fasteners used to attach the skid block to the car must :
a) have a total area no greater than 40000mm2 when viewed from directly beneath the car ;
b) be no greater than 2000mm2 in area individually when viewed from directly beneath the car ;
c) be fitted in order that their entire lower surfaces are visible from directly beneath the car.
When the skid block is new, ten of the fasteners may be flush with its lower surface but the remainder may
be no more than 8mm below the reference plane.

3.13.3 The lower edge of the periphery of the skid block may be chamfered at an angle of 30° to a depth of 8mm,
the trailing edge however may be chamfered over a distance of 200mm to a depth of 8mm.


http://fia.com/en-GB/sport/regulatio...mpionship.aspx


IMO, the floor is regulated to prevent the usage of skirts for full ground-effect, or something similar.

[mm154]

I am fairly certain they want the floor to extend as far out as possible to send more air through the diffuser, thus creating more downforce...I'm sure it also helps the wings function more effectively as the air passing under the pods, then back up to the wing would be very turbulent and adversely affect the rear wing...

[Greig]

So if there was no rules then the teams would probably make the floor larger as opposed to smaller?

[Rob]

the floor edge has to be at the center of the rear wheels (axle).

[mm154]

I'm not 100% but I am going to say yes to what ever extent it is would be aerodynamically efficient... If there were no rules, then the teams would revert to full skirts...

[Stormsearcher]

If there were no rules, they would plonk in an aircraft engine just to be sure.