How front spoiler or Air dam works ? - Aerodynamics

Front spoilers are very important for increasing the down-force on front tire.
The down-force developed on front tire balances the down-force developed by the rear wing .
Also Front spoilers are called splitter ,because they splits the amount of air going beneath the car body .
In this video you will learn :-
1) Why front spoilers are used ?
2) How front spoilers work ?
3) How Air dam or front spoiler of F1 car works ?
4) Aerodynamics of Front spoilers

[thevatsaljain]

Small correction :-
Apologies for using the name front spoiler or Air dam for F1 car .
These are generally called "Front wings " for F1.

[damncritics]

Explanation of the splitter is not completely correct. It is true that you get some downforce from the high pressure over the splitter. However, the majority of the downforce comes from under the splitter.

Also incorrect is how the downforce is generated from the underbody. Negative pressure is not generated via a decrease in air molecules - this would be true for air dams. Front splitters, however, do the complete opposite - they *increase* the amount of airflow going under the floor. This causes the effective cross-sectional area of the air flow to contract, which increases velocity due to conservation of mass. This increase in velocity will directly contribute to a reduction in pressure as per Bernoulli's Principle. You can see this effect taking place when you look at wind tunnel tests and CFD simulations of front splitters.

To increase this effect, many high-end race cars would actually angle the splitter upwards or make a very rounded leading edge. This forces more air under the floor, increasing the contraction ratio and therefore increasing velocity and reducing pressure of the flow undee the floor.

The problem with this method of increasing downforce is that if the floor isn't flat, then the air can start being impeded under the floor, which increases pressures significantly. This is why aerodynamic underbodies are so prevalent in race cars.

[SPlRlT_R]

Thanks for the knowledge. I have a question about top speed. So basically because of the higher downforce produced by both rear wing and front lip on a car, it will decrease top speed right?

[aashikunni]

why is the larger proportion of air flowing through below the car?

[joelbillington]

Very well made video, with some great information.

[stepan.poluianov]

Although I don't agree with some technical details in the video, I like how much love is put into illustrations!

[OneOak]

Was searching on google for a specific question about my 2020 mustang gt, and came across your vid. From factory the front splitter is angled slightly upward, and noticed your animation kinda matched. Is this a good thing or should I adjust it? Awesome video by the way!

[davidkris]

great explanation, thank you! Subscribed and hit the bell for your new content.

[mayurbhande]

Nicely explained,
Is that an McLaren Senna sketch in the video?

[Booka]

Air freely moving under the car would reduce the pressure, not raise it.
Slpitters as do wings, primarily work on the low pressure created on the underside, not the high pressure on top.

[silverX]

T... this is not how it works... This is not how any of it woks...
OHMYGOD ESPECIALLY THIS IS NOT HOW IT WORKS!

[ClaytonYatescarenthusiast]

I'm racing in an amateur series and looking for any advantage I can get. Would you be interested I. Helping me design a front splitter/wing, underbody, rear diffuser, rear wing, front and rear fender flairs? We could do a video collaboration or something. Let me know if you're interested. Love your videos!

[uncletian]

Please look up how to pronounce vortices.