Aerodynamics of a Formula One Car Front Cascade Wing during Cornering

Abstract

The design for the aerodynamics of front wing based on cornering angle of a Formula-One car plays an important role on the car's performance. The cascade elements above the main front wing is enhanced withnew and the deep winglets that managethe airflow for the rest of the car. The front wing cascades are attached with end plates at the extremitiesof the front wing to reduce turbulence. However,when the car turns, the airflow behaviouron these cascades wingschanges significantly. This paper presents the aerodynamic characteristics resulting fromthe cornering forces subjected on Formula Onestyled cascadewings. The study attempts to predictthe down-force and drag-force acting on the front wing under the effect of airflow change in this area. In order to investigate the airflow behaviour, computational fluid dynamics(specifically the ANSYS software)was used to simulateselected cases with specific surfacedefinitions and boundary conditionsdefined in a 3D domain. It can be observed that with the increase in the car’syaw angleduring turning, the down force and the drag force decrease in an inversely proportional manner.