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Marco Leali
The present study focuses on investigating the aerodynamic interaction between the endplate, blended to a three-element front wing, and a wheel in ground effect regarding the Formula 1 regulations change set for 2022. The simplification of the aerodynamic design, by reducing the several components on the car, is one of the main changes. The project purpose was accomplished by conducting a three-dimensional computational analysis; a steady RANS simulation approach was adopted on a simplified one-quarter CAD model, built from the ground up following the regulations imposed by the FIA.
The aim of this thesis was to investigate how changing the front wing pressure dis- tribution affected wheel aerodynamics, which due to its proximity to the chassis will, in turn, influence the underbody’s feeding process. This was completed by varying the endplate geometry, testing several layouts: canard height, canard angle of attack, endplate side shape and footplate addition. The CFD study aimed at analysing and comprehending the flow over the wing and then over the wheel by determining the flow mechanism and energy losses. For the footplate case, in addition, a force analysis over the front wing has been carried since it showed a significant efficiency variation than the other sets.
The flow investigation demonstrated that the wheel wake structure is considerably influenced by the endplate configuration displaying different behaviour for each set con- sidered. This is related to changes in positions and strength of the vortices shedding from the endplate and flowing around the wheel. These variations then directly disturb the wheel wake, exhibiting different swirling structures which evolve in disparate ways and affect the underbody’s efficiency.