CFD study of section characteristics of Formula Mazda race car wings

Abstract

A great deal of research has been done on the aerodynamic characteristics of race cars competing in major racing series through out the world. Because of the competitive nature of motor sport, this research is usually not published until after it is obsolete. The teams operating at the minor league levels of the sport do not have the funding resources of the major series to perform aerodynamic research. In an effort to provide some information for teams competing in the minor league Formula Mazda racecar class, this study was conducted using the Star-CD CFD code to perform a turbulent simulation (using a k – ε model) of the airflow on the front and rear wings of a Formula Mazda car with different angles of attack and the effect of the ground on the front wing. Results are presented graphically, showing pressure and velocity distributions and lift ( C l ) and drag coefficients ( C d ) for the different cases. It was shown that the ground effect has a marked effect on the C l and that the angle of attack has a significant effect on the lift and drag coefficients, and it was shown that an angle of 12 ∘ below the horizontal seems to indicate stalling conditions. It is suggested that this information, along with experimental validation, can be valuable for improving the optimum handling of these Formula Mazda race cars.