Porpoising is an issue on most 2022 #F1 cars.
Red Bull have found their solution in a very clever & legal suspension innovation. So they can now run super close to the track.
With gas springs and inerters banned, they've exploited a non-newtonian fluid filled damper.
Thread:-
Everyone knows from home science experiments that non newtonian fluids are liquid, but become semi solid when a large force is applied to them. Like the Corn starch on a speaker experiment, even custard is a NNF!
I spoke to RBRs ex-Honda suspension engineer, Kesonyu-san about the system. The NNF filled damper does not affect normal suspension movement, but when the car starts to porpoise its non newtonian properties resist the bouncing. 'Porpoising Intervention Engineering' he calls it !
Jo explained to me the fluid is hard to engineer, operate & maintain. Needing to be at a higher temperature, so the RB18 rear pushrod set up places the fluid damper close to the hot exhaust. The mechanics joke it's the custard damper, but stripping the hot damper runs risks...
That if it explodes you could end up with custard pie on your face, says Jo Ke-Son-You #April1st
First pics of the rebranding and damper
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So we have now seen the @MercedesAMGF1 W13 #F1 Bahrain spec.
The extreme sloped sidepods are the key feature, that allow the aero to work despite their small size.
From ahead the jelly mould sidepods, do have inlets and side radiators.
To create the shape the side impact spars are detached from the sidepod and have their own shroud shared with the mirror mount.
Inside the radiators are repositioned slightly, but still in in an apparent conventional position. Also there's the usual coolers above the gearbox fed by the roll hoop.
Hot air exits through louvers and the high coke bottle exit.
Porpoising. The cars can be seen to bounce up and down at speed.
This isn't new and not only related to big underfloor tunnels.
The car gets its downforce from the wings and underfloor. The ride at low speeds gives no problems. #F1
As speed increases the downforce increases too. This compresses the tyres and suspension.
As the underfloor gets closer to the ground, it works even better creating even more downforce
(this is ground effect).
Ride height continues to reduce with the aero load
This reaches a critical stage, where the ride height is too low and the airflow in the underfloor stalls.
This suddenly reduces downforce, the reduction in load uncompresses the tyre/suspension, lifting the car back up to a higher ride height
More @AlphaTauriF1#AT03 detail. #F1
Front suspension is pushrod in contrast to RBR. Prob as it retains some 2021 features, such as the trackrod placement behind the axle line
Front brake duct scoop is evident, with the 2022 demand for all air to pass in and out of the scoop
Large and unusually placed panel on engine cover. Probably for a louver cooling panel option.
Also the super shallow nose and the clever tunnel fences.
Williams shorten the tunnel inlet roof, which allows the inlet fences to sit higher and influence airflow over as well as under the tunnels.
With the front brake scoops there's 3 inlets.
The outer inlet is blanked off, as it was cold at Silverstone, this suggests its a cooling inlet.
The grilled middle inlet probably is the main cooling inlet.
The inner inlet appears to pass around an inner duct?