25-09-2013, 01:00 PM
CAR AERODYNAMICS
CAR AERODYNAMICS.docx (Size: 11.73 KB / Downloads: 70)
ABSTRACT
Automotive aerodynamics is the study of the aerodynamics of road vehicles. Car aerodynamics is used to make passenger vehicles safer and more fuel efficient, but it is primarily used in race car design where high speeds create an even greater need for specialized car aerodynamics. The aerodynamics of a vehicle is an important consideration that is normally addressed before the vehicle's shape or style is finalized. The main concerns of automotive aerodynamics are reducing drag (though drag by wide wheels is dominating most cars), reducing wind noise, minimizing noise emission, and preventing undesired lift forces and other causes of aerodynamic instability at high speeds. For some classes of racing vehicles, it may also be important to produce desirable downwards aerodynamic forces to improve traction and thus cornering abilities. Car aerodynamics is used to make passenger vehicles safer and more fuel efficient, but it is primarily used in race car design where high speeds create an even greater need for specialized car aerodynamics. Examples of vehicles based primarily on car aerodynamics are those that lie low to the ground, are sleek in design, and have rounded lines with reclining windshields that allow the air to easily flow over and around. These low-profile cars do not encounter the wind resistance of SUVs or trucks, and therefore get better fuel efficiency. But they have less interior room. The shape of a race car chassis is similar to an inverted wing or airfoil that creates down force rather than lift. This keeps the car on the ground at high speeds and increases traction around curves because the air under the car is moving faster than that the air above it. Slower moving air creates greater pressure, forcing the car down against the track. The shape of the underbody, which has another inverted wing, creates another area of low pressure that sucks the car to the asphalt.