Saturday, May 28, 2011

Virtual Wind Tunnel: May 28, 2011 Update

This is a general update on all the recent CFD "virtual wind tunnel" simulations of a Kyosho Mini-Z MR03 Mazda 787b 3D model.


In addition to the configurations tested previously (no wing, flat rear wing, 45 degree rear wing) three additional ones were considered: 15 degree, 30 degree, and 60 degree. This gives a pretty complete range of rear wing angles and may help understand aerodynamic effects at the Mini-Z scale and speed.


In order to make the results comparable I had to re-design the previously tested 45 degree configuration and run the simulation again. As the results changed I updated the previous posts, so all published results are consistent and comparable.


The table below shows drag and down forces for the different rear wing configurations tested:

Drag (gf)
Down Force (gf)
No Rear Wing
6.2
- 7.8 (lift)
0o Rear Wing
6.6
- 0.5 (lift)
15o Rear Wing
7.7
4.6
30o Rear Wing
8.9
8.0
45o Rear Wing
10.1
8.5
60o Rear Wing
10.6
9.3

All simulations were done considering the car "racing" at 10 m/s (36 km/h).

Once again, all results come from a computer simulation of a Mini-Z 3D model, resembling a Mazda 787b car body. None of the results have been validated empirically at a real wind tunnel, so all the typical CFD caveats apply.

Detailed results and pictures for each of the simulations are posted in the following links:

Virtual Wind Tunnel: No Rear Wing
Virtual Wind Tunnel: Flat Rear Wing
Virtual Wind Tunnel: 15 Degree Rear Wing

Virtual Wind Tunnel: 30 Degree Rear Wing
Virtual Wind Tunnel: 45 Degree Rear Wing
Virtual Wind Tunnel: 60 Degree Rear Wing

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