Underbody design for a Formula Student vehicle : design process and analysis of TFS24 underbody concept
Harjula, Samuli (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024051612724
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024051612724
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis was the design and analysis of an underbody concept for the TFS24 prototype of Tampere Formula Student motorsports team. The main goals for the underbody were to increase the total downforce generated and to move the aerodynamic balance closer to the rear axle of the vehicle, compared to the previous prototype. The active aerodynamics with thrusters were studied and an option to implement active underbody in the future was considered during the design.
The aerodynamic design was done iteratively using computational fluid dynamics, consisting of over a hundred simulations in total. The iterations were analysed both numerically and visually and the results were evaluated using lap-time simulations.
The underbody concept achieved a 47% increase in downforce and a 39% improvement in its centre of pressure. These improvements decreased the simulated lap times of the vehicle, therefore increasing the potential placings in the competitions.
Several areas for development can be obtained from the results, including further optimising performance and the centre of pressure of the underbody and manufacturability aspects. The preliminary studies of active aerodynamics indicated significant improvements in performance and more detailed studies should be performed for harnessing its full potential.
The aerodynamic design was done iteratively using computational fluid dynamics, consisting of over a hundred simulations in total. The iterations were analysed both numerically and visually and the results were evaluated using lap-time simulations.
The underbody concept achieved a 47% increase in downforce and a 39% improvement in its centre of pressure. These improvements decreased the simulated lap times of the vehicle, therefore increasing the potential placings in the competitions.
Several areas for development can be obtained from the results, including further optimising performance and the centre of pressure of the underbody and manufacturability aspects. The preliminary studies of active aerodynamics indicated significant improvements in performance and more detailed studies should be performed for harnessing its full potential.