Experimental Study on the Influence of Model Motion on the Aerodynamic Performance of a Race Car

While race cars run in a highly dynamic environment, aerodynamic testing through state of the art wind tunnel tests, as well as CFD analyses, are mostly performed under static or stationary conditions. Therefore, other than track data, only very limited data are available on time resolved aerodynamic forces and pressures for a moving car. To investigate these effects a new model manipulator was developed which allows substantial pitch and heave movements up to 20Hz. Wind tunnel tests with a former LeMans type race car model have shown that the difference between a steady state and a true dynamic analysis is significant.