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Computational Fluid Flow Analysis of Formula One Racing Car

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 IJSRD - International Journal for Scientific Research & Development| Vol. 3, Issue 02, 2015 | ISSN (online): 2321-0613

Computational Fluid Flow Analysis of Formula One Racing Car

Triya Nanalal Vadgama1 Mr. Arpit Patel2 Dr. Dipali Thakkar3 Mr. Jignesh Vala4
1
Student 2,4Assistant Professor 3Head & Professor
1,2,3,4
Department of Aeronautical Engineering
1,2,3,4
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Technology, Vasad, Gujarat Technological University,
Ahmedabad, India
Abstract— A modern Formula One (F1) Racing Car has c. Positive (+150) AOA :
almost as much in common with an aircraft as it does with  Free stream velocity of 30 kmph
an ordinary road car. Aerodynamics has become a key to  Free stream velocity of 100 kmph
success in the sport and teams spend millions of dollars on  Free stream velocity of 320 kmph
research and development in the field each year for 2) Front Wing Assembly & Rear Wing Assembly :
improving performance. The aerodynamic designer has two a. Negative (-150) AOA :
primary concerns: 1) the creation of down force, to help  Free stream velocity of 100 kmph
push the car’s tyres onto the track and improve cornering b. Zero (-00) AOA :
forces, 2) to minimise the drag that occurs due to turbulence  Free stream velocity of 100 kmph
and acts to slow down the car. In this project, various Refer [1] for the CAD Modelling phase of all the project.
features of the car will be enhanced to make the whole car
more aerodynamically efficient, by designing and modifying B. Selection of Airfoil:
and the different parts of the car-body chassis, and analysing NACA 4-series airfoils are the most widely used airfoils for
the corresponding flow-field at different velocities and Formula One race cars. The NACA four-digit wing sections
Angle of Attacks (AOA) using Ansys CFX software. The define the profile by:
enhanced model will be made aerodynamically efficient by 1) First digit - maximum camber as percentage of the
considering the contours of velocity, pressure, and chord.
streamlines. 2) Second digit - the distance of maximum camber
Key words: Formula One race car, Airfoil, Aerodynamics, from the airfoil leading edge in tens of percentage
Computational Fluid Flow, Angle of Attack of the chord.
3) Last two digits - maximum thickness of the airfoil
I. INTRODUCTION as a percentage of the chord.
1) Front Wing Airfoil – NACA 4412:
On the surface, automobile racing appears simply as a
The Front Wing of a Formula One car creates about 25% of
popular sport. But in reality, racing serves as a proving
the total car’s downforce. This is one of the most widely
ground for new technology and a battlefield for the giants of
used spoiler airfoil, but needs to be enhanced as per speed.
automobile industry. Although human factors are frequently
Such a thicker airfoil is used to obtain the desired higher
publicized as the reason behind the success or failure of one
downforce from the front end of the car, at a given speed.
racing team or another, engine power, tire adhesion, chassis
design, and recently, aerodynamics probably play a very
important role in winning this technology race.
Aerodynamics is study of gases in motion. As the principal
application of aerodynamics is the design of aircraft, air is
the gas with which the science is most concerned. Although
Fig. 1: NACA 4412
aerodynamics is primarily concerned with flight, its
2) Rear Wing Airfoil – NACA 2408
principles are also used in designing automobile. The wind
Due to location of engine at the rear end of the car, more
tunnel is one of the aerodynamicist's basic experimental
downforce is generated. Hence, to compensate for
tools. However in recent years, it has been supplanted by the
minimization of downforce from rear end, a thinner airfoil is
simulation of aerodynamic forces during the computer-aided
used. Thinner airfoil also helps to maintain the continuity of
design of aircraft and automobiles.
the flow without flow separation. Thus, NACA 2408 is
A. Work Plan: employed at the rear end.
Analysing the Computational Fluid Flow over the following
components of the car:
1) Front Wing Airfoil (NACA 4412) & Rear Wing
Airfoil (NACA 2408) :
a. Negative (-150) AOA : Fig. 2: NACA 2408
 Free stream velocity of 30 kmph
 Free stream velocity of 100 kmph C. Computational Fluid Dynamics Background:
 Free stream velocity of 320 kmph Computational fluid dynamics, usually abbreviated as CFD,
b. Zero (-00) AOA : is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods
 Free stream velocity of 30 kmph and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve
 Free stream velocity of 100 kmph fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations
 Free stream velocity of 320 kmph required to simulate the interaction of liquids and gases with
surfaces defined by boundary conditions. With high-speed

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 Computational Fluid Flow Analysis of Formula One Racing Car
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supercomputers, better solutions can be achieved. The

integration of the latest CFD research has transformed the
way Formula One design teams work. A decade ago,
engineers would test their parts using just a wind tunnel, a
process requiring a large amount of patience and experience.
Every small modification would require the creation of a
new part, costing both time and money. Now, Formula One
teams can use CFD to rapidly try out new ideas without
having to physically build new parts and test them in the
tunnel, allowing them to get innovative car components on Fig. 5: Inlet
to the track much quicker than ever before. 3) CFX Setup: (Fluid Domain)
CFD has increasingly become an affordable Named Selections = Inlet, Outlet, Boundary Wall, Airfoil
alternative to physical analysis, such as wind tunnels. The Wall
total cost of license purchasing for the CFD software is
generally less than the components needed to construct a
high quality experimental facility, yet is still relatively
costly. As long as the advantages and restrictions are
considered for the testing technique chosen, CFD can
provide an accurate flow representation. There are four main
advantages of CFD :
1) Its significant savings of lead times and
implementation costs of new designs.
2) The capability to analyse models where controlled
experiments are not viable. Fig. 6: Outlet
3) The capability to test models in situations that  Reference Pressure = 1 atm
would be considered hazardous.  Turbulence model = SST
4) The limitless degree of detail (resource dependent).
 Inlet Normal Speed (Subsonic) = 30kmph/
100kmph/ 320kmph
II. COMPUTATIONAL FLUID FLOW ANALYSIS USING ANSYS
 Outlet Flow Regime = Subsonic
WORKBENCH 14.0 – CFX
 Outlet Relative Pressure = 0 atm
A. Front Wing Airfoil (NACA 4412): Free Slip Wall condition for Boundary Wall and Airfoil
1) Geometry: Wall
 Length of Airfoil = 576 mm The SST (Shear Stress Transport) turbulence model
 Width of Airfoil = 119.98 mm is selected for all the analysis in order to have more
 Length X of Enclosure = 450.05 mm accuracy in results and make it possible to calculate stress
 Length Y of Enclosure = 215.35 mm during the Static Structural Analysis phase. The calculation
 Length Z of Enclosure = 676 mm of shear stresses, and henceforth the Force Reaction, is not
possible when the k-epsilon model is used. Although the
former model is as economical as the widely used latter one,
accuracy for separated flows along with a wide range of
flows and near-wall mesh conditions is more when SST is
employed.
B. Rear Wing Airfoil (NACA 2408):
1) Geometry:
 Length of Airfoil = 385 mm
Fig. 3: NACA 4412 Enclosed Into an Enclosure
 Width of Airfoil = 240 mm
2) Mesh:
 Length X of Enclosure = 470.01 mm
 Patch Conformal Method – Tetrahedrons
 Body Sizing of 5 mm
 Inflation on Airfoil boundary (Maximum Layers =
15
 Growth Rate = 0.7)
 Mapped Face Meshing on Airfoil Faces

Fig. 7: NACA 2408 Enclosed Into An Enclosure

 Length Y of Enclosure = 220.69 mm
 Length Z of Enclosure = 485 mm
2) Mesh:
Fig. 4: Generated Mesh Patch Conformal Method – Tetrahedrons
Body Sizing of 5 mm

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Inflation on Airfoil boundary (Maximum Layers = 2) Mesh:

8 Growth Rate = 0.7) Patch Conformal Method – Tetrahedrons
Body Sizing of 10 mm

Mapped Face Meshing on Airfoil Faces

Fig. 8: Generated Mesh
3) CFX Setup: (Fluid Domain)
Named Selections = Inlet, Outlet, Boundary Wall, Airfoil
Wall

Fig. 12: Cross-Section of the Generated Mesh

3) CFX Setup:
Number of Domains = 2 (Air and Front Wing)
Named Selection = Inlet, Opening, Ground, Front Wing
For Domain : Air
 Type = Fluid
 Reference Pressure = 1 atm
 Turbulence model = SST
 Inlet Normal Speed (Subsonic) = 100kmph
Fig. 9: Inlet  Outlet Flow Regime = Subsonic
 Outlet Relative Pressure = 0 atm
Free Slip Wall condition for Ground and Front Wing
For Domain: Front Wing
Type = Solid
Adiabatic Heat Transfer

Fig. 10: Outlet

 Reference Pressure = 1 atm
 Turbulence model = SST
 Inlet Normal Speed (Subsonic) = 30kmph/
100kmph/ 320kmph
 Outlet Flow Regime = Subsonic Fig. 13: Inlet
 Outlet Relative Pressure = 0 atm
Free Slip Wall condition for Boundary Wall and Airfoil
Wall
C. Front Wing Assembly (6 PLATES OF NACA 4412):
1) Geometry:
 Length X of Assembly = 1796 mm
 Length Y of Assembly = 313.2 mm
 Length Z of Assembly = 380 mm
 Length X of Enclosure = 1896 mm
Fig. 14: Opening
 Length Y of Enclosure = 430.2 mm
 Length Z of Enclosure = 680 mm D. Rear Wing Assembly (2 PLATES OF NACA 2408):
1) Geometry:
 Length X of Assembly = 455 mm
 Length Y of Assembly = 797.75 mm
 Length Z of Assembly = 664.4 mm
 Length X of Enclosure = 595 mm
 Length Y of Enclosure = 1017.7 mm
 Length Z of Enclosure = 984.41 mm
Fig. 11: Assembly Enclosed Into An Enclosure

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 Computational Fluid Flow Analysis of Formula One Racing Car
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III. RESULTS
A. Front Wing Airfoil (NACA 4412):
1) Negative (-150) AOA:
General trend noticed for velocity and pressure contours:

Fig. 15: Assembly Enclosed Into An Enclosure

2) Mesh:
Patch Conformal Method – Tetrahedrons
Body Sizing of 10 mm

Fig. 19: Velocity Contours

Fig. 16: Generated Mesh

3) CFX Setup:
Number of Domains = 2 (Air and Front Wing)
Named Selection = Inlet, Opening, Ground, Front Wing
 For Domain : Air Fig. 20: Pressure Contours
 Type = Fluid 2) Zero (00) AOA :
 Reference Pressure = 1 atm General trend noticed for velocity and pressure contours :
 Turbulence model = SST
 Inlet Normal Speed (Subsonic) = 100kmph
 Outlet Flow Regime = Subsonic
 Outlet Relative Pressure = 0 atm
Free Slip Wall condition for Ground and Front Wing
For Domain : Front Wing
Type = Solid
Adiabatic Heat Transfer

Fig. 21: Velocity Contours

Fig. 17: Inlet

Fig. 22: Pressure Contours

3) Positive (+150) AOA :
General trend noticed for velocity and pressure contours :

Fig. 18: Opening

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 Computational Fluid Flow Analysis of Formula One Racing Car
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Fig. 23: Velocity Contours Fig. 27: Velocity Contours

Fig. 24: Pressure Contours

B. Rear Wing Airfoil (NACA 2408): Fig. 28: Pressure Contours
1) Negative (-150) AOA: 3) Positive (+150) AOA :
General trend noticed for velocity and pressure contours : General trend noticed for velocity and pressure contours :

Fig. 25: Velocity Contours

Fig. 29: Velocity Contours

Fig. 26: Pressure Contours

2) Zero (00) AOA :
General trend noticed for velocity and pressure contours :
Fig. 30: Pressure Contours

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 Computational Fluid Flow Analysis of Formula One Racing Car
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C. Front Wing Assembly (6 PLATES OF NACA 4412): D. REAR WING ASSEMBLY (2 PLATES OF NACA 2408)
1) Negative (-150) AOA : 1) Negative (-150) AOA :

Fig. 31: Velocity Contours Fig. 35: Velocity Contours

Fig. 32: Pressure Contours Fig. 36: Pressure Contours

2) Zero (00) AOA : 2) Zero (00) AOA :

Fig. 33: Velocity Contours

Fig. 37: Velocity Contours

Fig. 34: Pressure Contours

Fig. 38: Pressure Contours

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 Computational Fluid Flow Analysis of Formula One Racing Car
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IV. CONCLUSIONS B. Front Wing Assembly V/S Rear Wing Assembly:

A. Front Wing Airfoil V/S Rear Wing Airfoil:

C. Front Wing Airfoil V/S Front Wing Assembly:

D. Rear Wing Airfoil V/S Rear Wing Assembly:

E. Main Conclusions:
1) The approximate top speed as read from the
analysis is 330 kmph – A definite race to the finish!
2) Aerodynamics plays an integrated and essential
role in the racing world.
3) Such a CFD testing helps to achieve great results
along with an appreciable saving in costs.
Note :

V. FUTURE PLANS
 Structural Analysis of Front wing airfoil NACA
4412 for calculation of Downforce.
 Structural Analysis of Rear wing airfoil NACA
2408 for calculation of Downforce.
 Structural Analysis of Front Wing Assembly for
calculation of Downforce.
 Structural Analysis of Rear Wing Assembly for
Table 1: Front Airfoil (NACA 4412) v/s Rear Airfoil calculation of Downforce.
(NACA  Structural Analysis of the entire car model for
calculation of Downforce.

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 Computational Fluid Flow Analysis of Formula One Racing Car
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[Validations will be based on Zero AOA results]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It is always a pleasure to remind the fine people who helped
me throughout my project.
I am extremely thankful to Dr. Dipali Thakkar for
giving me an opportunity to undertake this project. I would
like to give a special thanks and express my deep sense of
gratitude to Mr. Arpit Patel for his assistance, expert
guidance, and suggestions throughout this project work.
Without the help of their knowledge and expertise in every
facet of the study, from helping to find the relevant data and
in analyzing the results, this project would not have been
completed. I sincerely thank all other faculty members of
the Aeronautical Department for helping me in all possible
ways for the betterment of my project.
Last, but certainly not the least, I am very thankful
to my family and friends who have been giving me
unconditional support throughout the entire period of my
project, because without them, none of this would have been
possible.

REFERENCES
[1] Triya Nanalal Vadgama, Mr. Arpit Patel, Dr. Dipali
Thakkar, “Design of Formula One Racing Car”,
International Journal of Engineering Research &
Technology (ISSN: 2278-0181), Volume 4, Issue
04, pp. 702-712, April 2015
[2] A rear spoiler with adjustable aerodynamic profiles
for a high performance road vehicle (WIPO; Patent
No.: EP2631160; Application No.: 13156647;
Inventor: de Luca Marco; Applicant: Ferrari SPA)
[3] Aerodynamics – by L.J. Clancy
[4] Computational Fluid Dynamics – by J.D. Anderson
[5] Formula One Technical Regulations – FIA
Standards
[6] Fundamentals of Aerodynamics – by J.D.
Anderson
[7] Numerical Investigation of Flow Transition for
NACA-4412 airfoil using Computational Fluid
Dynamics (ISSN: 2319-8753; International Journal
of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and
Technology - Vol. 2, Issue 7, July 2013)
[8] Race Car Aerodynamics – by Joseph Katz
[9] Study of Front-Body of Formula One Car for
Aerodynamics using CFD (ISSN: 2319-4847;
International Journal of Application or Innovation
in Engineering & Management (IJAIEM) - Volume
3, Issue 3, March 2014).

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