Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Dr. Scott Wayne

Committee Member

Dr. Chris Griffin

Committee Member

Dr. Mario Perhinschi

Abstract

This thesis presents the design, simulation, and experimental validation for the aerodynamic system for a Formula SAE® vehicle. The Society of Automotive Engineers ® (SAE) hosts a collegiate competition annually called Formula SAE® where students design, fabricate, and test a small “formula style” vehicle. The vehicle performs in relatively slow maneuvers, around different courses and tests to evaluate the vehicle’s overall performance. Over the years, collegiate teams have put significant research into the design and manufacturing of the aerodynamics of these vehicles. In order to justify this undertaking for future teams at West Virginia University’s Formula SAE® program, a comprehensive study between a car with aerodynamic features and a car without them was completed with the goal of finding performance improvement. The aerodynamic package consists of front and rear wings, aerodynamic underwing, and sidepods. The improvements in aerodynamic coefficients these parts yield is found through half-vehicle computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The CFD model was developed through best-practice grid creation based on guidelines from SAE and the motorsport industry. With an aerodynamic improvement, there was also a significant weight penalty from adding these devices to the vehicle. To evaluate the effects of this weight increase, a 3-dimensional (3-D) simulation model was constructed based on the 2022 vehicle at West Virginia University. This model was simulated through two tests, a constant radius turn and a sinusoidal steering input simulation, with and without the aerodynamic package. These two tests’ results found improvement in maximum cornering speed, lateral acceleration, and yaw acceleration by adding the aerodynamic package. To correlate the simulation work, the 2022 vehicle was tested experimentally in similar conditions. Each experimental setup, aerodynamic and non-aerodynamic, was compared to their simulation results to validate the improvement and show that the 3-D model is a useful tool for vehicle dynamic analysis.

Download

Share

COinS