Endurance cars regulations require an heavy aerodynamic research aimed to minimize car drag and to generate, in the meantime, high negative lift characteristics, both to reduce fuel consumption and to increase the car handling and cornering performance.
This paper shows the work done to define new rear wing sections; it is essentially based on the use of computational aerodynamic programs, employed by aeronautical industries, and of corresponding wind tunnel tests.
The work program was the following :
- a)
Computational aerodynamic program validation by means od wind tunnel tests on an existing rear wing, aimed to compare theoretical and experimental results
- b)
Use of computational aerodynamic program to define new wing contours with and without slotted flaps
- c)
Wind tunnel tests on real scale isolated wings with new profiles defined by computational aerodynamic program
- d)
Real car and 1/5 scale model wind tunnel tests to minimize the interferences between rear wing and car body.
Aeritalia, aeronautical industry in Turin, supplied computational aerodynamic results by means of both the tridimensional subsonic panel method and the Multibody calculation programs implemented with Waltz method for boundary-layer evaluations.
Real scale tests were performed in the Fiat Auto Wind Tunnel, while 1/5 scale model tests were performed in the Dallara Wind Tunnel located in Parma, which is equipped with moving belt ground.
Car 1/5 scale model tests were conducted, too, at the Polytechnic of Turin subsonic wind tunnel to investigate local air flow in the region where rear wing should be placed.