Analysis of the Cooling Concept of the Braking System of a Formula Student Racing Car Using CFD Simulation and 1D Simulation

Abstract

In order to guarantee the performant operation of the braking system of a racing car under high load an optimized thermal design of the braking system is an important factor. Especially in motorsports, a lot of braking energy is converted into heat due to short and intense braking events. Therefore, a suitable cooling concept is a crucial point to ensure a reliable thermal management of the braking system to dissipate the generated heat. In this work, the braking system of the formula student racing car of the UAS Esslingen is analysed using the racing car of the season 2019. A transient 1D simulation model of the heat balance of the braking system is created. For the determination of the heat transfer coefficients a steady 3D Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) simulation model is set up. The logging data of a real race are used for the validation of the presented model (s). The heat balance of the braking system, its entire heat flows as well as the time-dependent temperature evaluation of the brake disc are analysed and compared. The results of this analysis are used to create a cooling concept for the racing car’s braking system, to ensure an optimized braking performance over the entire race. Several different (geometrical) variants of the thermal design of the braking system are investigated using the above mentioned numerical models and the results are presented. Furthermore, the implementation of a cooling duct for the braking system is studied.