When a diffuser is used, the air flows into the underbody from the front of the car,
accelerates and reduces
pressure. There is a suction peak at the transition of the flat bottom and diffuser. This transition is where the lowest pressure generally is located and is called the throat of the diffuser. The diffuser then eases this high velocity air back to normal velocity and also helps fill in the area behind the car making the whole underbody a more efficient
downforce producing device by reducing
drag on the car. The diffuser also imparts upward momentum to the air which further increases downforce. The trailing or
leading edge of a diffuser may receive a
nolder—a precise small lip, protuberance or wing to enhance its performance.
Operation (rear diffuser) The aft part of a car underbody is where a rear diffuser is usually located. It works by accelerating the velocity of the airflow underneath the car. At the diffuser exit station the air flow is at the same pressure and speed of the ambient. Since its geometry is expanding the rear region, the exit area is much bigger than the inlet, so for the
conservation of mass principle the air flow will have a much bigger speed at the diffuser inlet and as a consequence under the whole car underbody. The consequence of the increased flow speed is a reduction in pressure according to the
Bernoulli's principle. Since the pressure below the car is lower than on the side and above the car, downforce is produced if implemented correctly. Front diffusers also exist (especially on
Le Mans Prototypes or similar cars); however, they generate downforce purely from momentum exchange with the air, as there is nothing ahead of them to drive. A poorly designed front diffuser can create a low pressure region toward the front of the car which slows the air behind it down and reduces the effectiveness of the rest of the underbody. Front diffusers usually route air away from the car so that it doesn't affect the rest of the underbody. The air can be vented through a channel or expelled near the front wheels. Injecting the
exhaust into the rear diffuser can also help extract the air from below the car. The exhaust gasses effectively energize the
boundary layer, helping to raise the pressure of the low-pressure, fast-moving airstream back to the ambient atmospheric pressure at the exit of the diffuser. This fast-moving air helps evacuate the diffuser more quickly, which helps drop the pressure at the underbody. However, this makes the diffuser rather sensitive to engine speed. When the driver lifts off the
throttle, the exhaust flow is greatly reduced, which makes the diffuser less effective, robbing the vehicle of downforce. Thus, handling is negatively affected. The car's bodywork also interacts with the flow through the diffuser. In addition to creating downforce, the front wing and nose try to keep "clean air" flowing around, and more importantly under, the car. Clean air under the car prevents flow separation from occurring in the diffuser, which would severely rob its performance. The rear wing also affects the diffuser. When the wing is mounted low and close to the diffuser, the low pressure under the wing helps suck air through the diffuser. Cars, such as the
Toyota Eagle MkIII and the
Jaguar XJR-14 employed two-tier wings to enhance this effect. One profile was mounted high, in order to hit relatively clean air. The other profile was mounted almost flush with the bodywork behind the chassis. This wing's profile is used to drive the diffuser, creating that low pressure area to help move air from the underbody. According to Hiro Fujimori, aerodynamicist for the
Toyota Eagle MkIII project, this bi-plane wing produced 18% more downforce for the same drag than a normal wing. Conversely, equal downforce levels could be attained for significantly reduced drag with this "Red Baron" wing.
Multi-deck diffusers In 2009, the
Formula 1 grid was embroiled in controversy. The culprit was the so-called
double-decker diffuser introduced at first by
Brawn GP,
WilliamsF1, and
Toyota Racing, but later put into use by every team. These three teams had exploited a loophole in the rules that allowed for more volume in the diffuser. The rules stated that the diffuser must start at a point aligned with the centerline of the rear wheels. The loophole allowed for holes in the underbody, perpendicular to the reference plane (not visible as a hole when viewed from directly above), that fed a diffuser channel that was above the main diffuser. This greatly increased the available downforce, and was worth about half a second per lap, according to
Mike Gascoyne. The teams decided to allow the double-decker diffusers again for 2010. However, for 2011, the Formula 1 Technical Working Group decided to ban multi-deck diffusers. ==Splitters==