Down Force

Let's take a look!

Watch the video on YouTube.

What kind of experiment is this?

Experimental procedure and explanation:

• Racecars are designed so that downward lift, called down force, acts on them.
• Formula 1 racecars have a pair of wings, one at the front and another at the rear, which create down forces.
• Air hitting the wing is deflected by the wing. At that point, the airflow receives an upward force from the wing.
• As a reaction to that force, the wing receives downward lift, that is, a down force.
• With racecars, utilization of down force is essential. For the car to turn corners at high speed without slipping, the frictional forces between the tires and the road must be increased. A down force is created to do just that: increase the frictional forces at the road surface (increase grip).

[Keywords]	Lift
[Related items]	The Principle behind Airfoil, Flat Plate Airfoil
[Reference]	“The Wonders of Flow,” Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering, Kodansha Blue Backs pp. 156–161. “Illustrated Fluid Dynamics Trivia,” by Ryozo Ishiwata, Natsume Publishing, pp. 124–127, pp. 134–135.