Aerodynamic Effect of the Gurney Flap on the Front Wing of a F1 Car and Flow Interactions with Car Components

Mattia Basso,Davide Marsano,Carlo Cravero

doi:10.3390/en14082059

Abstract

The design of a racing car needs several aerodynamic design steps in order to achieve high performance. Each component has an aerodynamic interaction with the others and high performance requires a good match between them. The front wing is undoubtedly one of the main components to determine car performance with a strong interaction with the downstream components. The Gurney Flap (GF) is a small appendix perpendicular to the pressure side of the front wing at the trailing edge that can dramatically improve the front wing performance. In the literature, the performance of a GF on a single profile is well documented, while in this paper the GF mounted on the front wing of a racing car has been investigated and the interactions through the 3D flow structures are discussed. The global drag and downforce performance on the main components of the vehicle have been examined by comparing the cases with and without a GF. The GF increases the downforce by about 24% compared to a limited increase in the drag force. A fluid dynamic analysis has been carried out to understand the physical mechanisms of the flow interaction induced to the other components. The GF, in fact, enhances the ground effect, by redistributing the flow that interacts differently with the other components i.e., the wheel zone.

Highlights

In Formula 1 (F1), front wings are one of the main components for the aerodynamic performance of the car
Each component has an aerodynamic interaction with the others and high performance requires a good match between them
The performance of a Gurney Flap (GF) on a single profile is well documented, while in this paper the GF mounted on the front wing of a racing car has been investigated and the interactions through the 3D flow structures are discussed

Summary

Introduction

In Formula 1 (F1), front wings are one of the main components for the aerodynamic performance of the car. The Gurney Flap (GF) is a small supplement mounted perpendicularly to the pressure side of a wing along the trailing edge that brings a series of aerodynamic improvements to the car In racing vehicles, this component has a height of 1%–5% as the ratio between its height and the chord of the wing. Experimental analysis using hot anemometers has shown that the wing without a GF has a wake with less instabilities with respect to the case including it [6,7] These studies indicate that the flow downstream of the Gurney satisfies Liebeck’s hypotheses, its instantaneous structure consists of a vortex shedding. Studies on the aerodynamics of racing car wings using CFD have been published [31,32,33] and the Ansys CFX code, as in the present work, has been used to investigate the ground effect [34].

Components Components

VVeehiiccllee BBooddyy

Findings

FFiigguurree Figure