Aerodynamics cars

By: Paiman Parmaei

 What does aerodynamic means?
• Aerodynamics is the study of moving
gases (in this case air) over a body in
motion, and how that airflow will affect the
body's movement through the flow. car
aerodynamics make the car more safer
and make it more fuel efficient. It is used in
most of the cars today specially in race
cars because there is more need of
aerodynamics in high speeds cars.
 Aerodynamics History
• Aerodynamics has played an important role in
car racing since the late 1960s, when
introduction of the first inverted wings appeared
in some formulas. After that time, improved wing
systems taken from the aeronautic technology
made leaps forward, improving consistently lap
times, increasing cornering speeds and vehicle
stability. With the introduction of the ground
effect a few years later the vehicles used a third
element (the under body) to produce down
force, and hence improve the performances.
wing
wing
 What is the down force.
• The term down force describes the downward
pressure created by the aerodynamic
characteristics of a car that allows it to travel
faster through a corner by holding the car to the
track or road surface. However it also inverses
friction between the tires and the road surface,
thus decreasing maximum velocity.
• It’s a force which arises due to the airflow over
and below the car, which act vertically
downward on the car.
Cars can generate lift if designed
poorly.
 Aerodynamics in F1

• Aerodynamics is the single most important

aspect of F1 car design. It defined not only
the entire shape of the car, but also the
positioning of all items within it, like the
engine, gearbox and driver.
 Front wing effect on aerodynamics
of a F1 car
The front wing is important because it is the first
part of the car that makes contact with the air.
It affects the airflow in the full length of the car and
even tiny changes can have huge effects on the
overall performance.
Front wing is one of the elements that is used for
down force because it creates high pressure area
on top and hence large amount of down force.
 Rear Wing
• The rear wing helps glue the rear wheels to the
track, but it also can hugely increases drag (air
residence against the body of the car). But
designers are constantly working to use as little
angle of incidence on the rear wing as possible
without harming overall performance.
 Diffuser
»The diffuser, or floor, is designed
to ensure the smoothest exit for
the air that is flowing under the
car. Designers come up with a
huge variety of complicated
shapes because the quicker the
air exits, the more down force
the car generates, and the faster
it will be.
 BARGE BOARDS

Barge boards, or turning vanes, smooth

out and separate the air that has been
disrupted by the front wheels. They
separate the flow into two parts - one is
directed into the side pods to cool the
engine; the other is diverted outside to
reduce drag.
 Here are things that can be done to reduce
your vehicle's drag (air resistance):
http://www.recumbents.com/car_aerodynamics/

1. Make the shape of the car so that air

flow together smoothly towards the
end of the car
2.Reduce the frontal area of the car by
minimizing the grill making sure that
windscreen is as flat as possible.
3.Cover the wheels.
•Overall the use of the
aerodynamic devices greatly
increases the performance of a
car. The trick is to be able
generate just the right amount of
down force while keeping drag to
a minimum.
• Nissan Maxima 1998
before & after
aerodynamics changes.
Thank you
Question