4 replies to this topic

[Monstrous]

Thought i'd share this for anyone interested. Im currently coming to the end of my final year dissertation in my Motorsport Engineering degree, with the hand in next friday (23rd).

Title: To further understand aerodynamic interactions through the design and development of a model with remotely adjustable parameters.

Basically, i am analysing the interactions between front and rear wings on race cars and how adjusting them has varying effects on one another and the overall vehicle. To do this i had to design a simple model with exaggerated wings that were suitably adjustable remotely for use in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and in the Wind Tunnel.

The model itself is a very basic representation of a generic single seater type race car, and was first designed in Solidworks. The solidworks model was then used in Star-CCM+ CFD software for the main analysis involving adjusting the incidence angles of the front and rear wings in various combinations to review how the vehicle balance is changed and how the wings interact.

Anyway, that's the boring stuff out the way, here's the fun bit, the wind tunnel model. The main body was routed out of pine with recesses cut out for the servo's that alter the wings. The front and rear wings were manufactured using stereolythography or rapid prototyping to accurately represent the aerofoil profile chosen

The servo's were controlled using a USB servo controller linked to my laptop so i could adjust them in realtime while in the tunnel, a major advantage for this testing.


















It's been an interesting project, but i'll be glad to see the back of it and get it handed in!

[matty...]

Nice work!

How are you going to measure the effect the wings have on the car at different angles?

Don't you need some kind of sensors under the wheels to measure the downforce and lift?

[JakeJakeJake]

Looks interesting, any surprising results?

At school we did the F1 in school competition, we designed our cars in solidworks and tested them in a virtual wind tunnel. Which was good because it gives you values at the end of it. They were routed out of bulsa wood in the end. The cars only go in a straight line so it's a bit simpler.

[R1minimagic]

Have you got any data plots of the results showing potential synergies between front and rear aerofoils? Also, how does the research translate to real world racing cars? (i.e. track conditions and variables?)

[Monstrous]

Nice work!

How are you going to measure the effect the wings have on the car at different angles?

Don't you need some kind of sensors under the wheels to measure the downforce and lift?

If you look in the pictures there are a couple of force transducers beneath the model that measure lift and drag forces

Ideally i would have liked a transducers beneath each wheel but the resources did not allow for this, and since the wind tunnel testing is only a validation tool for the main CFD simulations the need was not justified

Looks interesting, any surprising results?

At school we did the F1 in school competition, we designed our cars in solidworks and tested them in a virtual wind tunnel. Which was good because it gives you values at the end of it. They were routed out of bulsa wood in the end. The cars only go in a straight line so it's a bit simpler.

Nothing surprising, just as i expected luckily. Like i said, this was just to validate the CFD testing

Have you got any data plots of the results showing potential synergies between front and rear aerofoils? Also, how does the research translate to real world racing cars? (i.e. track conditions and variables?)

I do have plenty of data plots but they are on my work laptop so will get them off next time im on there to show.

Well the research will help understand how these interactions can be used for gain, or how they can be eliminated to increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the cars