Design, Validation, and Effective Manufacturing of FSAE Sidepods

A car with a good aerodynamic design works efficiently. The sidepod is one such aerodynamic device that aids in increasing the cooling performance of a radiator. The objective of this article is to validate the design of the sidepod, which provides the maximum possible mass flow rate of air, which in turn increases the efficiency of the radiator. Validation was performed by comparing the values of mass flow rate obtained by analytical calculations, simulations, and experimentation. Firstly, analytical calculations were performed on the sidepod using the principles of fluid dynamics. Six models of the sidepod were designed with varying dimensions with undertray and without undertray. Simulations were performed on the models to find the design of the sidepods that provide results closest to the manually obtained values. An attempt was made to describe the setup required for simulating these sidepods along with the radiator, fan, and shroud. This article also targets to explain the setup necessary for the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis in detail to obtain realistic and accurate results. The obtained model was manufactured using an effective and efficient manufacturing method. Thus an additional objective of this article is to carry out the manufacturing process by the production of a cost-effective mold to consume less time and resources, provide a smooth surface finish and high specific strength, and require minimal machining processes. An experiment was done on the final product experimental mass flow rate of the sidepod setup. The results obtained by this validation process are described in detail pertaining to every step in the procedure.