1. ME 440 Aerospace Engineering Fundamentals Hot Topic of the Week

2. Automobile Wings

3. Being a race car driver, can you talk about the relations among the aerodynamics of the wing/body of the car and the down force? -- Brandon Goad

4. Wings on automobiles are upside down versions of wings on planes as the desired force a car wing is downward, so as to increase the car’s down force.

5. Down Force Vs Drag

6. Down Force Down force is a vertical force directed downward, produced by airflow around an object: such as a car body. It improves the efficiency in the conversion of wheel motion to car motion. That is, more the engine horsepower is used to move the car.

7. Drag Drag is the horizontal force due to friction between the air and the surfaces of the car that acts opposite to the forward motion of the car. Adding a wing increases the surface area and hence the drag and takes engine power away form moving the car.

8. Down Force vs Drag Wings are a game of balance. Increased down force is very useful on race courses with tight turns, but the increased drag is a big penalty on the straight away.

9. Personal Experience Several years ago I worked with a student who designed, built and tested a wing for the SAE Formula car. The testing showed an increase of top speed through a corner of 10 mph, but a decrease of top speed on a straight away of 10 mph. Whether the wing would be advantageous, clearly depends on the nature of the race course.

10. Front Splitters An Example of Using Basic Fluid Mechanics