Search Results

This article involves an experimental study regarding the capability of fluidic actuators to increase the aerodynamic performance of a four-element race car rear wing. Sweeping jet actuators are integrated in the upper flap, of which the angle of attack is increased by up to ΔαF3 = 40° with reference to a passively optimized setup. Different velocities of the emitted sweeping jets are applied to study the influence of momentum coefficients cμ = 0.04 … 0.98%. To prove the feasibility of the approach, flow control is first applied to a stand-alone rear wing tested in a small wind tunnel. Subsequently, a realistic race car model featuring the controlled rear wing is investigated in a larger-scale wind tunnel.

A realistic open-wheel race car model is investigated experimentally by means of surface flow visualization using UV active tufts, wall pressure as well as force measurements. The head restraint size is varied and crosswind conditions are reproduced inside a closed test section with a non-moving ground. An assessment of the aerodynamic components determines the contributions of front wing, rear wing and side wings with respect to the performance of the race car. Maximum downforce of the order of cL ≈  −0.35 (front wing only), cL ≈  −1.4 (front wing and rear wing combined) and cL ≈  −1.5 (complete aero package) are found at a neutral yaw angle. By means of flow visualization and image subtraction techniques, regions of highly turbulent flow on the rear wing are identified. They are shown to grow in size when the largest head restraint is installed. As a result, the pressure distribution for this configuration exhibits a consistent decrease in magnitude.