The Diffuser...Well my first one anyway

Wahoo, my first proper part! The diffuser produces roughly a quarter of an F1 cars downforce, so it is of the upmost importance. It can be up to a metre wide, and 12.5cm/ 7.5cm high. Firstly, For my own diffuser, I decided to have a Venturi tunnel occupying the outer 2.5cm on each side. This tunnel is similar to those seen on Front Wing Endplates, and the Toro Rosso Diffuser, and it is likely that I will shape it further, once other concepts are on the car. At the moment the diffuser shape itself is quite simple, and is very common of 2011 F1 car designs. On the top of the edge of the diffuser are 20mm gurney tabs, the maximum allowed in the current regulations. The Most interesting feature of the diffuser at the moment is the wing shaped starter motor hole. I shaped the slot so it is effectively a wing inside the diffuser, with the air underneath moving quicker than air above it, with a possible view to blowing exhaust gases into the starter motor hole. The final feature on the diffuser at the moment, is the pair of strakes. These act to push air out to the sides, and direct the air better as to avoid drag.

Here are a few images of the first iteration of my diffuser.

Rear Shot

Showing the wing shaped starter motor hole gap

Everybody likes venturi tunnels...and gurneys.

Front Wing Central Section

Since 2009, the FIA, in a bid to make overtaking easier, and reduce the effect the car in front's wake has on the car behind, the central 500mm of a front wing has been homologated to a standard shape. I plotted the co-ordinates for this section using the FIA regulations. Below an image can be seen. I am currently in the middle of developing the main plane of the Front Wing, which is directly connected to this section of the front wing.
The reason I am modelling the car in such detail, is should an oppurtunity arise for the car to be run through some CFD, it would give a very close and accurate result, and also means any improvements or modifications could be accurately tested to see if they have a performance impact.

Here is a side on image of the central front wing section. This is quite a difficult view to come across. It is horizontal to the reference plane, and shows that the shape of the aerofoil, actually probably does create lift, rather than the much craved downforce in F1.

Next time I promise I'll do a fun part!

Tom, PZR.

And so we begin...Skid Block

Nice and easy part to start with, the skid block. It's length and width are standardised, so its just a case of modelling it! Due to my wheelbase of 3330mm, the skid block is 3000mm long, beginning 330mm behind the Front Wheel Centre line of the car. It's 300mm wide across its whole length, and 10mm thick across it's whole length, apart from the rear 200mm, where it tapers to a width of 2mm at the end of the plank.

The Job of the plank on a F1 car is to regulate ride height, as it's thickness is measured throughout the event. Excessive wear (1mm) of the plank will result in a disqualification. The plank was introduced in 1994 along with stepped floors in order to regulate ride height and restrict the ground effect of the floors of flat bottomed F1 cars.

Below is a rendered image of the skid block, showing its holes along its length. The wholes are in the places instructed at the end of the FIA regulations.

Image Rendered in Kerkythea 2008.

And yes, Skid Blocks are boring.

Tom, PZR.

First Things First.

Hi all. This will be the first post of many. In January 2011, I began work on my own design of a 2011 F1 Car. The model was completed in late March 2011, with help from others, but I feel i could do so much more, so about a week or two ago, i began work on my car for the 2012 season. I use Google Sketchup 8 to model my car, as it's free and easy to use, and will be showing and explaining every step of the way, for you, the online community to enjoy. The model is in very early days at the moment, but is developing fairly rapidly, compared to my 2011 design, despite much more attention to detail.

To start however, a few things need to be set in stone, in order for the design to take shape. Below is a basic info list for the car

PZ-02:Wheelbase - 3330mm (based on a standard F1 car)
Front Track - 1480mm
Rear Track - 1420mm
Height - 950mm
Width - 1800mm

I also need a list of inspirations to work from. I love inspiration and originality, and will try and include it the best I can on my own one, as I did on my 2011 car.
For 2012 I will be looking for inspiration from:

• 2011 cars
• Early 1990's F1 cars, particuarly an extreme low nose concept
• Adrian Newey Concepts
• Nature (e.g. Shark Skin, Bird Feathers, Humpback Whale Ridges)
• Other Race Cars from around the world.

This Project is exciting, and I hope you enjoy reading about it and watching it develop.

Tom, PZR.