New inovative F-Duct in the front wing for Mercedes GP in 2012

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Mercedes plans F-duct in the front wing

With an aggressive development program in the 2012 season Mercedes will finally take off. A project is the F-duct in the front wing. We have uncovered the secret of the ingenious engineering trick.
You can Mercedes not blame the engineers had no ideas. The Mercedes MGPW02 is an unusual car. With bold ideas in many areas: the short wheelbase, the concept of the folded coolers and revolutionary chassis that links together the four hydraulic suspensions.

But the technology-tricks but have not yet brought the things promised by the theory. Nevertheless, team principal Ross Brawn will hold to the philosophy of aggressive development. "A bit less extreme."

Mercedes is testing front-wing trick in Suzuka
As auto motor und sport in its latest issue (issue 23/2011, from 20 October in the trade) reported one of these projects is an F-slot in the front wings. To be on the safe side, you have tried out the system entirely in secret before. On the first Friday practice at Suzuka. The engineers used the training to collect data. In the wind tunnel, the F-duct problem is difficult to visualize.

Only those who have executed looks exactly Mercedes was on the ropes. Normally, the oval hole in the tip of the nose glued shut MGPW02. In Suzuka it was open. You could see a split in the middle hole. Through this air is introduced into the front wings. Example for this system is the F-duct in the rear wing, which came into fashion in the preseason.

Better flow of the underbody and more top speed
The air is then passed via a pipe system from the front wing stilts in the right and left of the main sheet. If the back pressure a certain amount, the air blows on the underside of the wing with a total of four slots. The driver, the system must not like the F-duct aktvieren manually in the previous year.

The trick to flow under the wing towards the underbody is calmed. And it is the top speed. How much are the experts disagree about it. McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh is estimated between five and eight km / h. He notes, however, that this technique is difficult to get a grip. Mercedes could have pulled so early with his development beginning in the lottery. "If you make a start now, is already late."

Only passive F-duct allows the front wing
Actually, the F-duct is prohibited. Active anyway. The driver must not intervene. To a passive F-duct in the rear wing, which determines the dynamic pressure, the flow is torn down when the team voluntarily terminate. Therefore, the FIA ​​gave them the DRS wing. It provides considerably more top speed, if one may put flat on the rear wing flap button.

For the front wing, there are no rules. As a passive Q-bay is legal. Whitmarsh believes that will work on other teams now using this technology. The technical regulations are so restrictive that you have to use every little loophole. Mercedes not only runs an aggressive personnel strategy. It also wants to set technical trends. 2012 podiums are mandatory.

(google translation from german to english)

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