Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics for the Design of Formula SAE Race Car Aerodynamics

Doddegowda, Punith; Bychkovsky, Aleksandr L.; George, A. R.

doi:10.4271/2006-01-0807

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Also, Wordley and Saunders [1] were not concerned with optimization of height but were rather changing the angle of attack, such approach being understandable for wind tunnel tests. Doddegowda et al [2] have also shown generally agreeable computational results without focusing on particular parts of the car. On the contrary, De Silva et al [3] used CFD for fine-tuning of side panels in order to maximize the use of cooling air.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Optimization of SAE Formula Rear Wing

Iljaž

Škerget

Štrakl

et al. 2016

SV-JME

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This work deals with taking advantage of the available numerical methods when trying to excel in automotive competition. First, the optimization problem is outlined, to be followed by the proposed numerical solution, as well as the practical consequences of this solution, not as a proof of validity of the numerical approach, but rather as a description of a modern design flow.Formula SAE is an international competition having the common goal of designing and manufacturing of a racing car. While efforts have been made to keep the average velocity as low as possible, for safety reasons (around 50 km/h), by designing an especially tortuous track, there is fierce competition among competitors. This, rather low, velocity presents an additional challenge before the designerincreasing downforce results in higher corner speeds, and this, in turn, leads to better final times during the competition. The design criterion was, therefore, to construct, and manufacture a vehicle which exerted as much downforce as possible.The body of work related to the rear wings has been performed at Monash University see Wordley and Saunders [1]. However, their work covered 2D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis citing availability of a full-scale wind tunnel. This approach, while completely understandable, is not suitable for those without access to such expensive facilities. We believe and have proven in this work, that similar results can be achieved using full-scale 3D CFD modeling. In addition, we believed that modeling rotating wheels and a moving road were absolutely necessary in order to achieve meaningful results. Also, Wordley and Saunders [1] were not concerned with optimization of height but were rather changing the angle of attack, such approach being understandable for wind tunnel tests. Doddegowda et al. [2] have also shown generally agreeable computational results without focusing on particular parts of the car. On the contrary, De Silva et al.[3] used CFD for fine-tuning of side panels in order to maximize the use of cooling air. They used moving ground however, not spinning wheels, which, in our opinion, is absolutely necessary to capture the vortex formation around the side walls of the car. The importance of a rotating wheel was, albeit from a different perspective, confirmed by Huminic and Chiru [4].The surprising scientific result shown herein is that the effect of the slat was more pronounced than the effect of the second flap, for the maximum angle of attack, at the upmost main rear wing position, and this is documented herein. Unfortunately, the final design could not incorporate this result as this would • Several different layouts were analyzed. Optimization of SAE Formula Rear Wing• The addition of a slat at the expense of a second flap results in significant increase of downforce (about 6 %).• Boundary layer separation causes a significant decrease in lift, and occurs for higher angles of attack in the case of using a slat as opposed to the case without a slat and with the second flap.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Optimization of SAE Formula Rear Wing

Iljaž

Škerget

Štrakl

et al. 2016

SV-JME

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“…[1][2][3] The rear wing is a crucial aerodynamic device, which should offer enough down force and minimize the aerodynamic drag. [4][5][6] In traditional rear wing optimization, the optimization variables are selected and separately enumerated according to the analyzing experience of the racing car's external flow field, and thus the optimal combination is chosen by comparison. This method is complicated, and even might lose some key sample points.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic algorithm-based optimization design method of the Formula SAE racing car’s rear wing

Wang

Bai

Hao

et al. 2017

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C:

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The aerodynamic devices play an important role on the performance of the Formula SAE racing car. The rear wing is the most significant and popular element, which offers primary down force and optimizes the wake. In traditional rear wing optimization, the optimization variables are first selected, and separately enumerated according to the analyzing experience of the racing car’s external flow field, and thus the optimal design is chosen by comparison. This method is complicated, and even might lose some key sample points. In this paper, the attack angle of the rear wing and the relative position parameters are set as design variables; then the design variables’ combination is determined by the DOE experimental design method. The aerodynamic lift and drag of the racing car for these variables’ combinations are obtained by the computational fluid dynamics method. With these sample points, the approximation model is produced by the response surface method. For the sake of gaining the best lift to drag ( FL/ FD) ratio, i.e. maximum down force and the minimum drag force, the optimal solution is found by the genetic algorithm. The result shows that the established optimization procedure can optimize the rear wing’s aerodynamic characteristic on the racing car effectively and have application values in the practical engineering.

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“…Because the components inside the engine compartment is complexly shaped and tightly packed, and the computational resources is limited, the numerical simulations and the wind tunnel experiment of the engine compartment was not much studied until the late 1990s, when CFD and the turbulence theory became more mature [4][5] . The numerical simulation is fast, widely applicable, not limited by Reynolds number and boundary conditions, and thus widely used in automobile aerodynamics [6] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Simulation of the Influence of Intake Grille Shape on the Aerodynamic Performance of a Passenger Car

Liu¹,

Chang²,

2015

Proceedings of the 2015 International Power, Electronics and Materials Engineering Conference

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The influence of the front intake grille shape on the aerodynamics of a passenger car is studied,and a numerical simulation is made on a full-scale CAD automobile model with different grille shapes, including straight, convex, concave, and M and W-shaped. The results show that the drag coefficient Cd and the radiator mass flow rate Q have a rough correlation, and the straight grille has the best effect, with smaller Cd by 0.05% and larger Q by 0.19%. Although it is numerically insignificant, the straight grille uses the least amount of materials as well, thus it is considered the best.

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Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics for the Design of Formula SAE Race Car Aerodynamics

Cited by 15 publications

References 3 publications

Optimization of SAE Formula Rear Wing

Optimization of SAE Formula Rear Wing

Genetic algorithm-based optimization design method of the Formula SAE racing car’s rear wing

Numerical Simulation of the Influence of Intake Grille Shape on the Aerodynamic Performance of a Passenger Car

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