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Analysis of F-Duct Drag Reduction System in Formula 1

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Analysis of F-Duct Drag Reduction System in Formula 1 ANALYSIS OF F-DUCT DRAG REDUCTION SYSTEM IN FORMULA 1 A Thesis by Vishal Vinod Raul Bachelor of Engineering, University of Mumbai, 2008 Submitted to the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the faculty of the Graduate School of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science December 2013 © Copyright 2013 by Vishal Vinod Raul All Rights Reserved ANALYSIS OF F-DUCT DRAG REDUCTION SYSTEM IN FORMULA 1 The following faculty members have examined the final copy of this thesis for form and content, and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science with a major in Aerospace Engineering. _____________________________________ L. Scott Miller, Committee Chair ______________________________________ Klaus A. Hoffmann, Committee Member ______________________________________ Alan Elcrat, Committee Member iii DEDICATION To my parents, my sister, and my dear friends iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. L. Scott Miller, for his continuous support of my Master’s study and research, and for his guidance, patience, motivation, and knowledge, without which this work would not have been possible. I also thank Dr. Hoffmann and Dr. Elcrat, who were willing to participate on my final defense committee. I thank Mr. Joshua Nelson for his help in understanding the wind tunnel testing procedure and important aspects about the wind tunnel. I also thank my colleague Mr. Armin Ghoddoussi for helping and sharing his knowledge about computational fluid dynamics and its intricacies. Special thanks to Mr. Kevin Hagan, who, as a good friend and colleague, helped me make accurate wind tunnel models. I also thank my friends and roommates in Wichita who made my time here enjoyable: Alam, Aashwij, Amar, Sandeep, Preeti, Naman, Atul, Kranthi, Chakradhar, and Uday. Special thanks to all my Mech08 friends for their support and wishes: Bhavik, Manish, Anit, Gunjan, Gaurang, Sandesh, and Amyth. Finally, I express my gratitude to my parents and elder sister. They have always been supporting, encouraging, and motivating, and without their support, this thesis would not have been possible. v ABSTRACT During the Formula 1 auto racing season of 2010, team McLaren developed an aerodynamic device called an F-Duct. This device was an ingenious way of out-thinking the regulations of the Fédération Internationale de l‘Automobile (FIA) by providing a means of notably controlling car performance. More specifically, the F-Duct is a device that allows a driver to alter air flow over the car‘s rear wing in order to gain higher speed on long straight sections of the race track (up to 10 kmph). In general, Formula 1 teams do not share technological details about their cars in order to keep an advantage over other teams. Available public information is vague in nature and does not provide any technical details. This thesis studied the existing F-Duct system and its requirements, including the location of key components and their functions. First, a working concept was proposed, and a simplified model was prepared to test the concept. Wind tunnel testing was performed on a physical model and the data analyzed. Continuous improvements were made to achieve drag reduction through passive flow control. Finally, an improved model was prepared, drag reduction was observed, and wind tunnel data presented. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 1.1 Aerodynamics of Formula 1 Cars ............................................................................1 1.2 Importance of Downforce ........................................................................................1 1.3 Rear Wing of Formula 1 Cars ..................................................................................3 1.4 Importance of Drag Reduction.................................................................................4 1.5 Introduction to F-Duct .............................................................................................5 1.5.1 Working Principles of F-Duct ......................................................................6 1.6 Research Aim and Objective ...................................................................................9 2. CONCEPT BEHIND F-DUCT ..........................................................................................10 2.1 Components of Drag Force on Low Aspect Ratio Wing .......................................10 2.2 Drag on Rear Wing of Formula 1 Car ...................................................................13 3. WIND TUNNEL MODEL DESIGN .................................................................................14 3.1 Analyzing Existing System ....................................................................................14 3.1.1 High-Lift Multi-Element Low Aspect Ratio Wing ....................................15 3.1.2 Duct System ...............................................................................................15 3.1.3 Parameters Required to Define F-Duct System .........................................16 3.2 Simplifying F-Duct System ...................................................................................16 4. PROTOTYPE-1 .................................................................................................................22 4.1 Predictions of Aerodynamic Coefficients for Base Wing......................................22 4.2 Making of Prototype-1 ...........................................................................................24 4.3 3 × 4-Foot Wind Tunnel Facility ...........................................................................26 4.4 Prototype-1 Results ................................................................................................28 4.4.1 Base Wing Results .....................................................................................28 4.4.2 Effect of Endplates .....................................................................................31 4.4.3 Effect of Blowing Slots on Prototype-1 .....................................................33 4.4.4 Jet Velocity Measurement and Effectiveness of Ducts ..............................34 4.5.4 Modifications Required from Testing Prototype-1 ....................................39 5. PROTOTYPE-2 .................................................................................................................40 5.1 Making Prototype-2 ...............................................................................................40 5.2 Base Wing Results .................................................................................................43 5.3 Prototype-2 Results ................................................................................................45 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Page 5.3.1 Effect of Endplates and Ducts ....................................................................45 5.3.2 Effect of Blowing Slots on Prototype-2 .....................................................47 5.3.3 Pressure Measurement along Chord ..........................................................49 5.3.4 Jet Velocity Ratio and Effectiveness of Duct ............................................51 5.3.5 Observations and Conclusions from Prototype-2 Testing .........................55 6. MULTI-ELEMENT CONFIGURATION .........................................................................56 6.1 Multi-Element Wing Details ..................................................................................56 6.2 Multi-Element Wing Configuration Results ..........................................................58 6.2.1 Effect of Flap Element ...............................................................................58 6.2.2. Effect of Blowing Slot on Multi-Element Configuration ..........................59 6.3 Multi-Element Wing Configuration with Stall Strip .............................................61 6.3.1 Effect of Stall Strip on Multi-Element Configuration ...............................62 6.3.2 Flow Visualization .....................................................................................65 7. CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................67 8. FUTURE WORK ...............................................................................................................69 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................70 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Parameters of F-Duct System ............................................................................................16 2. Operational Reynolds Number Range ...............................................................................17 3. Sizing of Base Wing and Reynolds Numbers ....................................................................17 4. Jet Velocity Ratio and Momentum Coefficient .................................................................19 5. Endplate Dimensions and Effective Aspect Ratio (AR*) ..................................................20 6. Base Wing Details..............................................................................................................24 7. Prototype-1 Test Descriptions and Purposes .....................................................................28
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