Downforce or Cooling? Ducati Winglets

[Doc]

Interesting article.

http://tinyurl.com/25stbp6

[scottieducati]

It doesn't matter, they look bad-ass and everyone's jealous. Ducati's always have to be the talk of the town you know, and the envy of your friends.

Cool article though

[Chippertheripper]

Ducati is mediocre.

[Stromper]

Cup holder

[SRTie4k]

Ricer.

[DuncanMoto]

It's a footrest for when you're on the autobahn with your cruise control set.

[OreoGaborio]

That figure may be correct, but preventing the front from lifting is far more of a problem at 200 km/h than it is at 300 km/h. At that point, the bike is under hard acceleration, and is wanting to lift the front. Anti-wheelie software can help here, but that relies on cutting power, something that reduces drive out of the corners. Some form of aerodynamic assistance would be of more use than cutting power, but due to the exponential nature of fluid dynamics (air resistance - and the effectiveness of flaps and winglets - is squared when speed doubles), the effectiveness of the winglets is likely to be around half that 10 kg figure at 200 km/h. And the slower you go (and therefore, the harder you are accelerating), the less effective the winglets become.

Ah, yes... it's true that a bike becomes less wheelie prone at higher speeds... but it also becomes harder to steer and downforce at the front would increase the rake angle.

Another possibility maybe? Unlikely but a possibility none the less.


My guess is it's likely a little bit of each... it can keep the front end down making it less wheelie prone, it can increase flow through the radiators, it can increase rake angle at high speeds, and it also likely creates a little stirr in the air at the leading edge of the bike which actually helps with aerodynamics.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_generator

[Doc]

Ah, yes... it's true that a bike becomes less wheelie prone at higher speeds... but it also becomes harder to steer and downforce at the front would increase the rake angle.

Another possibility maybe? Unlikely but a possibility none the less.


My guess is it's likely a little bit of each... it can keep the front end down making it less wheelie prone, it can increase flow through the radiators, it can increase rake angle at high speeds, and it also likely creates a little stirr in the air at the leading edge of the bike which actually helps with aerodynamics.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_generator

Nah! I think Duncanmoto nailed it.

[obsolete]

Ah, yes... it's true that a bike becomes less wheelie prone at higher speeds... but it also becomes harder to steer and downforce at the front would increase the rake angle.

Another possibility maybe? Unlikely but a possibility none the less.


My guess is it's likely a little bit of each... it can keep the front end down making it less wheelie prone, it can increase flow through the radiators, it can increase rake angle at high speeds, and it also likely creates a little stirr in the air at the leading edge of the bike which actually helps with aerodynamics.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_generator

I don't think a vortex generator would really help in that fashion as there is no stabalizing surface behind it. As I understand it, they are used in a leading postion to a wing to increase the effectiveness of it. This is kinda what they're doing over exit shroud for the radiator by having it there.

I don't think putting a the "stir" in the air would increase the aerodynamics of the bike greater than the drag produced by it.

But I really have no clue.

[OreoGaborio]

Yeah, that's true. Vortex generators on a plane stir the air so that the air stays closer to the surface and it increases the efficency of the wing, control surfaces and reduces the stall speed... but if I remember correctly, it also slightly reduces drag.

I may be wrong though... it's been a while.

Hehe... Look at this... I'm totally geekin out

[obsolete]

That's what I'm not sure of. How would adding a surface reduce drag? Would it "break up" the air for a larger surface behind it there for while it increases drag it reduces drag for a larger object behind it therefore having a positive net reduction. There seems like there would be a conservation law prohibiting that.

[OreoGaborio]

By inducing a small vortex, the air stays closer to the surface for longer and is less likely to separate. When the airflow separates from a surface it causes turbulence which causes drag.

... I think.

Or I could be full of crap.

[obsolete]

Where in the fuck are the engineers on this site? We're fucking dancing here.

[OreoGaborio]

[KawiSmurf]

Where in the fuck are the engineers on this site? We're fucking dancing here.

I don't know about the others, but I'm having too much fun watching you two play the guessing game.

Carry on...

[obsolete]

I don't know about the others, but I'm having too much fun watching you two play the guessing game.

Carry on...

Don't you need some sort of document to call yourself an engineer...

Yea, how bout you play hide and go fuck yourself instead.

[KawiSmurf]

Don't you need some sort of document to call yourself an engineer...

I have one.

Yea, how bout you play hide and go fuck yourself instead.

No thanks.

[zx1012r]

I've had wings on my streetbike for ten years.

Kawasaki was sooo ahead of their time

If they had this on their MotoGP bike I bet they would have been winning

http://robotpig.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1894

[OreoGaborio]

I was right!

(Just goes to show ya, if you throw enough theories out there one's bound to be the right one )

[Harley Davidson]

I've had wings on my streetbike for ten years.

Kawasaki was sooo ahead of their time

If they had this on their MotoGP bike I bet they would have been winning

http://robotpig.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1894

Interesting.

I'd like to see some wind tunnel footage. Someone post on on youtube already, or tuft one of those desmosidicis before a practice session.

At first glance, calling it a winglet seems wrong, but it's possible that it reduces interference drag by making the pressure distributions across this aerodynamically complex area (wheel to fairing) more complimentary. In addition to creating 'thrust', winglets can reduce induced drag in this way, so maybe that's why they are calling them winglets.

[obsolete]

I have one.




No thanks.

Note from your mom don't count.