Bargeboards are pieces of bodywork on

open-wheel An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fend ...

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, serving a purely

aerodynamic Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...

(as opposed to structural) function. They are curved vertical planes situated longitudinally, between the front wheels and the

sidepod The following is a glossary of terminology used in motorsport, along with explanations of their meanings. 0–9 ;1–2 finish: When two vehicles from the same team finish first and second in a race. Can be extended to 1–2–3 or 1–2–3– ...

s, held away from the chassis at the front on struts or other connectors, and connecting to the sidepods or extensions of the floor at the rear. In general, they are significantly taller at the front than at the rear making them trapezoidal in profile, and they curve outward in plan view, being closer to the centerline of the car at the front, and curving out towards the rear. Bargeboards were introduced by

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at the

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, before being adopted by Benetton and other teams.

Function

Aerodynamically, bargeboards act primarily as flow conditioners, smoothing and redirecting the turbulent or "dirty" air in the wake of the front wing, the front suspension links, and the rotating front wheels. Part of their function is to direct the turbulent wakes of the front wing and spinning front wheels away from downstream aerodynamic surfaces. In this capacity, they separate different components of this mixture of flows, and direct them either outside and around the sidepods, or direct flow towards the radiator inlets. As such, the configuration of bargeboards can have significance with respect to cooling. They also help direct flow behind the front wheels, reducing the wake drag created by the wheel profile.

Vortex generators

Another important function of bargeboards is to act as

vortex generators A vortex generator (VG) is an aerodynamic device, consisting of a small vane usually attached to a lifting surface (or airfoil, such as an aircraft wing) or a rotor blade of a wind turbine.monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

. These are typically called "turning vanes" rather than bargeboards, and are used in addition to, or sometimes in place of full bargeboards, depending on the aerodynamic approach of the car. Initially relatively simple in their design, bargeboards and turning vanes became progressively more complex through the 2000s, integrating with the floor, mirror supports, suspension mounts, and other structures in more elaborate ways.

References

* McBeath, Simon (1998). ''Competition Car Downforce''. Haynes. {{ISBN, 1-85960-662-8

External links

Aerodynamics
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, 25 February, 2004 Motorsport terminology Aerodynamics Formula One