Master of science

3.2 Aerodynamic Devices

For concerned drag and lift, normally lowering the car to a certain ride height level as well as lowering frontal area will help to increase the desired downwards force requirements. However, an additional device like rear spoiler or vortex generator could effectively improve the aerodynamic performance that is the aerodynamic devices. These aerodynamic devices are add-on mechanical parts to a vehicle to improve the vehicle aerodynamic performance by modifying drag or lift. As we know, Aerodynamic force depends on the body shape of the motion object in fluid. The benefit of this kind device is there is no need to change the original shape of the vehicle shape but modify it with additional parts to improve the aerodynamic performance. Since the vehicle aerodynamics has been studied as far as vehicle was land on road, so many vehicle devices have been developed to affect the air stream and improve the vehicle aerodynamic performance. There are some common used devices in both race and commercial vehicles for different purposes. In today’s vehicle body-kit market, most of the aerodynamic devices are just cosmetic. However, there are some body-kits are offering full aerodynamic functions.

3.2.1 Front Wing

The main function of a front wing is to create downward that enhances the grip of the front tires. This device’s could amount to up to 25-30% of total downforce and enhance the vehicle’s turning ability in sharp corners normally above 60 MPH [19]. This device is wildly used in F1 races to improve the vehicle stability while turning fast at sharp corners. The device’s function majorly is affected by the angle of attack and height of the wing. The design of the front wing is critical in controlling the flow of air over the rest of the vehicle. As shown in Figure 3.4 below, the basic design of a front wing is to design an airfoil suspended from the nose cone and with movable flaps incorporated in the design to adjust the angle of attack.