Aerodynamic Performance Prediction of a Profile in Ground Effect With and Without a Gurney Flap

Abstract

A very detailed experimental case of a reversed profile in ground effect has been selected in the open literature where available experimental data have been used as reference data for the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The CFD approach has been used to predict aerodynamic performance of the profile at different distances with respect to the ground: in the freestream case, there is no ground effect whereas in the low height the profile operation is limited by the stall on the suction surface. Moreover, the effect of a Gurney flap addition on flow distribution and performance has been numerically investigated. The experimental data have been used to setup and test the capabilities of the computational approach. With the addition of a Gurney flap, a significant flow unsteadiness is introduced that needs to be considered in the numerical approach. In this case, the configurations investigated are used to highlight the capabilities of CFD using Reynolds-averaged Naiver–Stokes (RANS) approach for its effective application as a tool for the detailed design of aerodynamic components to generate downforce for race cars.