Research on the Flow Field around a Formula SAE Car 2015-26-0208

The main purpose of this paper is to research the aerodynamic characteristics of the Formula SAE car. A more accurate CAD model is built to reduce the impact of oversimplification. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method is adapted. The computational domain is meshed with tetrahedral and polyhedral cells and the flow field is predicted using the Realizable k - ε turbulence model. Data obtained in this study include the aerodynamic drag and lift coefficients, pressure distribution on external surfaces and velocity distribution at different cross sections. The pressure distribution is investigated in a quantitative manner. An in-depth study is undertaken to analyze the turbulence structure in the wake. The research indicates that the front and rear wings have a notable impact on the external aerodynamics of the car. Furthermore, several suggestions are put forward to make the Formula SAE car achieve higher levels of performance.