End Plates in F1 car wings. What do they do ?

Endplates are a pretty important component of wings that enables efficient functioning of them. 
End plates - F1 Tamizhan

a.End plates

We saw how does rear wing is formed by multiple airfoils bound together.
End plates serve the most important function in the rear bodywork. End plates at either end provide sturdy support for the airfoils to be held in the desired position.
Adding to this structural support, preventing swirling vortices from the rear airfoils which create induced drag, is the major feature of the endplates.
And end plates also prevent turbulent air raising from tires from disturbing the airflow over the rear bodywork.

Formula1 Rear Wing End plates Function

b. What is swirling vortices and how it is prevented by end plates?

As we know when an airfoil encounter airflow, a pressure differential is created between the top and bottom region of the airfoil. The normal tendency of high-pressure air to enter low-pressure region leads to the air to swirl around the edge of the airfoil. if it is not for endplates, swirling vortices generated with induce a great amount of drag that has to be overcome by the power unit.
Endplates prevent these vortices by blocking high-pressure region air entry into the low-pressure regions.
Later, with the evolution of end plates, end plates started appeared with slots and L-cuts in corners to create an anti swirl to neutralize end vortices.

Rear wings components


Upcoming post on Drag reduction system

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