An Efficient Aerodynamic System for Formula SAE Competition
Location
CSU Ballroom
Start Date
20-4-2015 10:00 AM
End Date
20-4-2015 11:30 AM
Student's Major
Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Student's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Mentor's Name
Gary Mead
Mentor's Email Address
gary.mead@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Description
The Minnesota State University, Mankato Formula SAE team is trying to improve upon its performance in handling this year. Last year’s car was capable of generating .81g of lateral acceleration in competition, which was improved to .90g in lot testing after competition. This improvement was largely based on further improvements based purely on performance. To progress performance further, the 2015 car will implement an aerodynamics package. That package includes wings and an undertray. The wings generally create lots of downforce (157lbs at 50mph), but also lots of drag. The undertray typically creates less downforce with a slightly smaller drag penalty. By creating downforce, the wings and undertray will increase the vertical force on the tire, which will improve handling performance. This theory works well, but physically building the wings is difficult as well. The physical prototyping of the wings proved to be just as difficult as the design stage. The team created a CAD model of the car, flowed the model in CFD, and analyzed the results to approximate what gains were possible. To construct the wings, hours had to be dedicated to CNC machining, sanding and polishing molds. The molds themselves needed lots of prep work to perfect. The Formula SAE competition is a great way to evaluate engineering prowess and prove good design. Hopefully, our end result will portray the engineering that was put into the project.
An Efficient Aerodynamic System for Formula SAE Competition
CSU Ballroom
The Minnesota State University, Mankato Formula SAE team is trying to improve upon its performance in handling this year. Last year’s car was capable of generating .81g of lateral acceleration in competition, which was improved to .90g in lot testing after competition. This improvement was largely based on further improvements based purely on performance. To progress performance further, the 2015 car will implement an aerodynamics package. That package includes wings and an undertray. The wings generally create lots of downforce (157lbs at 50mph), but also lots of drag. The undertray typically creates less downforce with a slightly smaller drag penalty. By creating downforce, the wings and undertray will increase the vertical force on the tire, which will improve handling performance. This theory works well, but physically building the wings is difficult as well. The physical prototyping of the wings proved to be just as difficult as the design stage. The team created a CAD model of the car, flowed the model in CFD, and analyzed the results to approximate what gains were possible. To construct the wings, hours had to be dedicated to CNC machining, sanding and polishing molds. The molds themselves needed lots of prep work to perfect. The Formula SAE competition is a great way to evaluate engineering prowess and prove good design. Hopefully, our end result will portray the engineering that was put into the project.
Recommended Citation
Ryan, Philip. "An Efficient Aerodynamic System for Formula SAE Competition." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 20, 2015.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2015/poster_session_A/3
