Presented By: Eugene Tan

AERODYANMICS

Shell/Aerofoil Design
1.

Fundamentals
Objectives of the design Aerofoil design limitations Four forces Aerofoil design

2.

Aerodynamic drag
Skin friction drag, Pressure drag, Induced drag Parasite drag, Form drag

3. 4. 5. 6.

Aerodynamic of side profile Significance of Aerodynamic drag Summary: Drag reduction Examples of Body Shape
NVT (2011)

Objectives of the design

Key Objective Reduce running resistance acting on the entire body of the car Two main factors of running resistance
Rolling resistance
Aerodynamic drag

Light in weight & have minimal surface areas (such as

frontal area and side profile) Streamlined bodies to prevent flow separation as it causes high drag force

Aerofoil Design Limitations

Design of the Solar car is limited by: 1. Race regulations 2. Aerodynamic needs 3. Restrictions on solar power/area

Four Forces
In unaccelerated level flight, Lift is equal and opposite to

Weight, and the Thrust is equal and opposite to Drag

Imbalance of the forces will cause a change in speed or

altitude of the airplane. Lift produced by an airfoil is the net force developed perpendicular to the relative wind

Aerofoil Design

Aerodynamic Drag
Aerodynamic drag consists of four components:
1. 2. 3. 4.

Skin Friction drag Pressure drag Induced drag Parasite drag

Skin Friction Drag

Skin friction drag depends on:
1.

Type of flow over the body

Laminar flow has lower surface drag compared to turbulent

2. Roughness of the surface

Rougher surface, more skin friction

3.

Amount of area
More surface area, more drag

Front Rear

Pressure Drag
Pressure drag results due to the pressure difference between the forward facing surface and the rear facing surface
Front has higher pressure compared to rear

Pressure difference causes a net rearward drag force

Reduced by having smooth surfaces and avoiding sharp

corners Corners and bends should be tapered gradually Also known as boundary layer pressure loss

Boundary layer gets thicker from front to rear, less pressure at rear

Induced Drag
Induced drag, also called trailing vortex drag which is due to the pressure difference between the top and bottom surface of the car
Pressure difference causes air to flow up the sides from the

higher pressure bottom, resulting in vortices in the wake behind the car Should maintain same pressure is design for both the top and the bottom However, it depends

Parasite Drag
Parasite drag is due to imperfection of the surface, seams and any additional add-ons on the surface of the car that is protruding out from the body
Present in expose wheels
Does not always cause drag might result in lift

Form Drag
Form drag is a resistance to the smooth flow of air.
The shape of something may create low-pressure areas

and turbulence which retard the forward movement of the aircraft (see figure 4-9). Streamlining eliminate form drag

Aerodynamic of Side Profile

Increase area of side profile, represent higher loss of energy
When beta increases, value of drag coefficients increases The coefficients can be reduce by reducing the effective

cross sectional area If poorly design, the car would not be able to reach high speed as it will become very difficult to control as speed increases or experiencing high crosswinds

Significance of Aerodynamic Drag

According to the graph shown, the ratio of the aerodynamic drag to the total running resistance, is 4:1 at 100km/hr
10% reduction in aerodynamic drag 2.5km/hr increase in average speed 20km increase in distance

Summary: Drag Reduction

Driving force required to cruise is a function of aerodynamic drag 2. Aerodynamic drag increases proportionately to the square of speed 3. Drag reduction is achieved by reducing drag coefficient of the shell/airfoil 4. Achieved by designing an aerodynamic shell, reducing frontal area and minimizing the lift produced
1.

Body Shape

Prefered! Simpler array construction and layout Uniform exposure of solar cells to sunlight

Manta-Type (MIT) Thicker body with a sloped front Prevents flow separation

Bubble Canopy (Nuna 5) Thin body & bubble canopy Minimal side profile & frontal area Canopy created significant lift