The Importance of Measuring Air Velocity on a Race Car
Start Date
15-4-2021 4:15 PM
End Date
15-4-2021 4:30 PM
Student's Major
Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Student's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Mentor's Name
Gary Mead
Mentor's Department
Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Description
This study was conducted by three students studying Automotive Engineering at the Minnesota State University, Mankato and the focus is to understand the airflow around the aerodynamic package of the formula SAE car. Throughout this project it was possible to study the aerodynamic forces that act on the aero devices on the racing car that the Formula SAE team built during this last year, 2020-2021. The biggest obstacle preventing the investigation was the lack of resources to acquire state-of-the-art sensors. Students were able to purchase 2 sensors for the tests that were executed. Thanks to the URC this project could be successfully carried out. It was first received, and it needed to be mounted on the car, and that was done by creating different 3d printed mounts that were attached with adhesive tape or Velcro, so the airflow could be tested in various positions. At first, five location points were assigned to measure the different pressures, mainly in the front and rear wing. The information was collected with the sensors, sent, and stored in the computer that the car has on board. The data were then transferred to the students' computers to be analyze. The racing car was subjected to different tests such as coast down, skid-pad, acceleration, among others. It is important to mention that factors such as air density, ambient temperature and wind speed were measured and included in the records for each test. During testing, the data was carefully analyzed to validate the Aero targets set by the team at the start of the year. If the racecar's aerodynamics did not meet the objectives, the wings would be adjusted to meet the goals. The team discovered that they were nearly there, but that certain wings needed to be adjusted to create more downforce without increasing drag excessively.
The Importance of Measuring Air Velocity on a Race Car
This study was conducted by three students studying Automotive Engineering at the Minnesota State University, Mankato and the focus is to understand the airflow around the aerodynamic package of the formula SAE car. Throughout this project it was possible to study the aerodynamic forces that act on the aero devices on the racing car that the Formula SAE team built during this last year, 2020-2021. The biggest obstacle preventing the investigation was the lack of resources to acquire state-of-the-art sensors. Students were able to purchase 2 sensors for the tests that were executed. Thanks to the URC this project could be successfully carried out. It was first received, and it needed to be mounted on the car, and that was done by creating different 3d printed mounts that were attached with adhesive tape or Velcro, so the airflow could be tested in various positions. At first, five location points were assigned to measure the different pressures, mainly in the front and rear wing. The information was collected with the sensors, sent, and stored in the computer that the car has on board. The data were then transferred to the students' computers to be analyze. The racing car was subjected to different tests such as coast down, skid-pad, acceleration, among others. It is important to mention that factors such as air density, ambient temperature and wind speed were measured and included in the records for each test. During testing, the data was carefully analyzed to validate the Aero targets set by the team at the start of the year. If the racecar's aerodynamics did not meet the objectives, the wings would be adjusted to meet the goals. The team discovered that they were nearly there, but that certain wings needed to be adjusted to create more downforce without increasing drag excessively.
