AERODYNAMICS

Downforce
The term downforce 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. The same principle that
allows an airplane to rise off the ground by creating lift under its wings is used in
reverse to apply force that presses the race car against the surface of the track.
This effect is referred to as "aerodynamic grip" and is distinguished from
"mechanical grip," which is a function of the car mass repartition, tires and
suspension. The creation of downforce by passive devices can only be achieved
at the cost of increased aerodynamic drag (or friction), and the optimum setup is
always a compromise between the two

The formula for downforce is given by:

Where:

D is downforce in newtons
WS is wingspan in metres

H is height in metres

AoA is angle of attack

F is drag coefficient

is air density in kg/m

V is velocity in m/s

Aerofoils
The amount of downforce created by the wings or spoilers on a car is dependent primarily on
two things:

The shape, including surface area, aspect ratio and cross-section of the device, and
The device's orientation (or angle of attack).

A larger surface area creates greater downforce and greater drag. The aspect ratio is the width
of the airfoil divided by its depth. Also, a greater angle of attack (or tilt) of the wing or
spoiler, creates more downforce and more drag.
Drag
In fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called resistance) is the force that resists
the movement of a solid object through a fluid (a liquid or gas). Drag is made up
of friction forces, which act in a direction parallel to the object's surface
(primarily along its sides, as friction forces at the front and back cancel
themselves out), plus pressure forces, which act in a direction perpendicular to
the object's surface. For a solid object moving through a fluid or gas, the drag is
the sum of all the aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces in the direction of the
external fluid flow. (Forces perpendicular to this direction are considered lift). It
therefore acts to oppose the motion of the object, and in a powered vehicle it is
overcome by thrust.

The Drag equation calculates the force experienced by an object moving through a fluid at
relatively large velocity (i.e. high Reynolds number,
), also called quadratic
drag. The equation is attributed to Lord Rayleigh, who originally used
in place of (L
being some length). The force on a moving object due to a fluid is:

see derivation

where
Fd is the force of drag,
is the density of the fluid (Note that for the Earth's atmosphere, the density can be
found using the barometric formula. It is 1.293 kg/m3 at 0 C and 1 atmosphere.),
v is the speed of the object relative to the fluid,
A is the reference area,
Cd is the drag coefficient (a dimensionless constant, e.g. 0.25 to 0.45 for a car), and
is the unit vector indicating the direction of the velocity (the negative sign indicating
the drag is opposite to that of velocity).

WINGS GENERATE A LOT OF DRAG AND ARE THEREFORE NOT SUITABLE FOR A
600CC CAR . BUT DOWNFORCE CAN STILL BE GENERATED BY USING THE
PHENOMENON OF GROUND EFFECT.

Ground Effect
Substantial downforce is available by understanding the ground to be part of the
aerodynamic system in question. The basic idea is to create an area of low
pressure underneath the car, so that the higher pressure above the car will apply
a downward force. Naturally, to maximize the force one wants the maximum
area at the minimal pressure. Racing car designers have achieved low pressure
in two ways: first, by using a fan to pull air out of the cavity; second, to design
the underside of the car so that incoming air is accelerated through a narrow slot
between the car and the ground, lowering pressure by Bernoulli's principle.
Diffuser

A diffuser, in an automotive context, is usually a shaped section of the car underbody which
improves the car's automotive aerodynamics properties by enhancing the transition between
the high-velocity airflow underneath the car and the much slower freestream airflow of the
ambient atmosphere. It works by providing a space for the underbody airflow to decelerate
and expand so that the boundary between the car's airflow and "external" airflow is less
turbulent, and it also provides a degree of "wake infill" (the wake being a turbulent area of
low pressure that is caused by the passage of the vehicle through the air; this can cause
pressure drag).
As the air enters towards the front of the car it accelerates and reduces pressure. There is a
second suction peak at the transition of the flat bottom and diffuser. The diffuser then eases
this "high velocity" air back to normal velocity and also helps fill in the area behind the car
making the whole underbody a more efficient downforce producing device by reducing drag
on the car and increasing downforce.
The aft part of a car underbody can be a diffuser. It tries to connect the underbody to the back
without producing turbulences so that Bernoulli's principle applies and the pressure increases
while the velocity decreases. The side and the roof end in a sharp edge, so that their pressure
does not increase. Because the pressure in the back tends to equilibrate, the pressure below
the car is lower than on the side and the roof of the car.
The diffuser works on the venturi effect

the theoretical pressure drop (P1 P2) at the constriction would be given by

Thus downforce is generated without much drag.

FSAE-considerations
1)FSAE allows the use of undertrays and diffusers for ground effect as well as
aerofoils for downforce.
2)But since aerofoils generate too much drag we may not use aerofoils.
3)We can have an aerodynamic design by properly controlling the air-flow
around the car and making a diffuser.
4)This will help in generating the downforce required without any drag .
5)As a consequence the cornering speeds will increase and the control of the car
will be better.