A Seminar Presentation On AERODYNAMICS OF F1 RACING CAR

Submitted By: PRASHANTH D [1SJ07ME076]

INTRODUCTION

• Engineered with perfection, the loud and aggressive Formula One (F1) racecar is the ultimate racing machine.

• Its reputation has been defined by its amazing speed and handling characteristics, which are for the most part, a product of its aerodynamic features.

• vehicle traveling at high speed must be able to do two things well i.e.. reduce air resistance and increase downforce.

WHAT IS AERODYNAMICS

?

• Aerodynamics is the branch of dynamics that deals with the motion of air and other gaseous fluids and with the forces acting on bodies in motion relative to such fluids.

• In the term AERODYNAMIS, AERO stands for air, DYNAMICS denotes motion. Aerodynamics is an engineering science concerned with interaction between bodies and atmosphere.

WHY WE NEED TO IMPROVE AERODYNAMICS IN F1 CARS

•

SPEED

better the aerodynamic design, higher will be their speeds.

•

FUEL EFFICIENCY

better aerodynamics , less work for engine.

Important Terms Involved Aerodynamics

•

Weight:

Weight of a car is a measure of how heavy or light it is. Weight is a force dependent on object’s mass. The mass of the object multiplied by the magnitude of gravitational field. This weight has a significant effect on the acceleration of the object.

•

Lift:

Lift is created by movement of the air around an object. It is the sum of all fluid dynamic forces on a body normal to the direction of external flow around the body.

•

Drag:

Just as wind friction causes drag in an automobile, aerodynamic friction and displacement of air during creates aerodynamic DRAG. Drag occurs any time that air is • displaced from its normal condition.

Downforce:

Downforce is simply the force acting down on the ground. On our car we have a force which acts down on the ground to keep the car fixed to the track as it is going • around corners.

Thrust:

When a body is in motion a drag force is created which opposes the motion of the object so thrust can be the force produce in opposite direction to drag that is higher than that of drag so that the body can move through the fluid.

The Forces that act on a F1 Car are

Thrust.

Drag.

Weight.

• Lift • Drag • Downforce • Thrust

Down force:

• It is the negative lift • A high-pressure region then develops on the upper side of the wing, creating a downward force. This pressure difference causes the net down force. • Down force is necessary for maintaining speed through corners. Due to the fact that the engine power available today can overcome much of the opposing forces induced by drag, design attention has been focused on first perfecting the down force properties of a car then addressing drag.

Wing theory

• Uses the same principle as an aircraft.

• Aircraft uses lift whereas f1 cars uses down-force.

• Drag- another important factor on an f1 car.

Working Principle

• The basic principle behind this is the Bernoulli’s Principle.

• This principle can be used to calculate the lift force on the air foil, if the behavior of the fluid flow in the vicinity of foil is known.

• According to this principle, the pressure on the surfaces of the wings will be lower above than below. This pressure difference results in upper lift force, thus lift force can be calculated using this principle .

FRONT WING

•Mainplane (1) running almost the whole width of the car suspended from the nose (4) •Onto this are fitted two aerofoil flaps (2), one on each side, which are the adjustable parts of the wing •On each end of the mainplane there are endplates (3)

• Asymmetrical wing flaps on either side of the nose cones.

• Asymmetrical shape allows better airflow increasing down-force.

• Inside edges of the front wing endplates curved

Rear wing

• Made up of 2 sets of aerofoil connected to each other by wing endplates.

• Top aerofoil made up of a maximum of 3 elements.

• Lower aerofoil made up of single element.

• Endplates prevent the air from spilling over the sides of the wings.

Figure: Comparison of wings for different tracks Figure: Rear wing of Formula One racecar

Figure: Rear wings with separate aerofoil elements

Figure: Induced drag - wingtip vortices on the wings of an F1 car and airplane

Figure

: End plates deflecting air around tires

Wheels

Figure

: Airflow over entire car, specifically drag on tires

Diffuser

• Situated at the underside of the car behind the rear axle line.

• Consists of many tunnels and splitters to control airflow.

• Maximizes suction effect thus increasing down-force

CFD Analysis F1 Car

Technical Regulations Affecting Aerodynamic Features In F1

• Weight of the car • Overall width • Overall height • Front bodywork height

Trends in maximumcornering force,during the past 50 years

• •

CONCLUSION

Aerodynamics is now the most important item on the car which a team can actually change, because if you look at the tires, everyone has the same tires and the engine is homologated. So aerodynamics is the single biggest item we can change - the biggest performance item on the car.

Although they may seem restricted by tight regulations, these regulations only add more challenge to the game that engineers must play.