Inflatable wing?

Did it ever happen in F1? Does anybody have the specifics?

aycliffe...

I'd imagine it might be possible to "inflate" hollow components at
high pressure with nitrogen to make them stiffer. Didn't someone try
this with a bicycle frame that was built thin-therefore-flexy, and
then pressurized to generate the rigidity of a stouter gauge? But I
wouldn't want a 'punctured' monocoque at race speeds. Helicopter
rotors are hollow and pressurized with nitrogen, but I am sure it's
more for facilitating crack-detection than for stiffening. Any old
patents on the books?

Alonso is sufficiently puffed up with gas already, thank you, and I
don't want to know about his stiffness issues..

Ray O\\'Hara...

choppers use inert gas to keep water vapor out.
water vapor will form ice inside the blade and throw off the balance

Doc Knutsen...

The Porsche 917 used an aluminium alloy multi-tubular frame that was liable
to cracking, and which was gas filled for this reason. A dash-mounted gauge
monitored gas pressure...if the pressure dropped, your foot came off the
loud pedal..
Doc

Sla#s...

Nitrogen is used in the tubular frame of the Alouette & Lama helicopters
but the pressure is quite low at 1.6 bar.

T C...

Cripes. My last Colonscopy felt like they used more gas pressure than that
and I was stoned out of my head on Valium!

You now know enough. :)

Jeff York...

Slightly too much actually!! :-)

Anand Nene...

Still haven't been able to trace. Whitting has reported to have
seen it, but mentions no specifics.

Besides what's the problem with moveable aero devices anyways?

David Melville...

Nothing until they fail mid-corner.....

I'm sure you've seen an F1 car lose it's rear wing suddenly, through
failure, and the subsequent carnage.

One is little more than a passenger.

News...

In fairness, that is also the case with fixed aero done without adequate
testing.

Brian Redman's "falling maple leaf" in the flat bottomed Lola T333 over
the hump at the St. Jovite Can Am in June 1977 comes to mind.

With composites and with CFD test capabilities, it's probably time to
re-evaluate movable aero -- even the Gordon Murray/Jim Hall variety.

Anand Nene...

Ofcourse Dave. The point I am trying to make is, the teams are anyways
finding a work around the existing regs to come up with more innovative
designs, which I read at times are even difficult to detect, test. So
make it legal, let it go...

News...

Motorcycle rear swing arms, for sure.

With composites, it's hardly worthwhile.

There were designs for internally blown (not pressurized) lift devices,
but that's all I can say about that...