To my F1-team, Some Physics concepts: AERODYNAMICS Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a solid object. Understanding motion of air (often called a flow field) around an object enables the calculation of forces and moments acting on the object. Typical properties calculated for a flow field include velocity, pressure, density and temperature as a function of spatial position and time. Aerodynamics allows the definition and solution of equations for the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy in air. The points to be kept in mind to minimize drag and to keep lift minimal are: • Eliminating a low pressure area at the rear of the car • To have a free airflow around the car without much obstructions. • To have the front and rear aerofoils designed to cause least drag possible. Rather than creating a zero angle tilt, research was done to find the optimum angle of tilt needed. BERNOULLI EFFECT AND PRESSURE Whenever the trailing edge of an airfoil causes air to move downwards, the air ahead of the airfoil will move upwards, the air above the airfoil will speed up, and the air below the airfoil will slow down. Each fast-moving parcel of air above the airfoil greatly outraces its counterpart flowing below. Air divided by the airfoil doesnt rejoin again, instead a narrow region of fast flowing air appears above the airfoil, and a wide region of slow air appears below. Because of the Bernoulli Effect, relatively fast air exerts less pressure than slow air. This difference in pressure above and below the wing will create an upward force: the lifting force. End result: if we know the velocity of the air above and below the wing, then we can calculate the difference in pressure and discover the value of lifting force. FORCES ON THE CAR: WEIGHT: A heavier car will have a slower race time as the car is propelled forward using only a single burst canister. When a heavy car is launched, the initial thrust gets reduced fast and the effect of opposing forces rise. But a heavier object will get decelerated slowly. Using a lighter car will not only provide a significant increase in the initial thrust, but will also cancel out the fast deceleration rate factor. THRUST: Thrust is a reaction force imparted to push the car forward. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on that system. This initial thrust is provided by a CO2 canister, that is pierced at the start of the race. DRAG: In fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called air resistance or fluid resistance) refers to forces which act on a solid object in the direction of the relative fluid flow velocity. Unlike other resistive forces, such as dry friction, which is nearly independent of velocity, drag forces depend on velocity. Drag forces always decrease fluid velocity relative to the solid object in the fluids path. The force pushing against an object opposite to the direction of travel in F1 in schools serves as the Drag. Types of drag are generally divided into different categories. These are involved with F1 are: a. Skin Friction b. Interference Drag c. Lift-induced drag d. Wave Drag (aerodynamics) * SKIN FRICTION (AIR RESISTANCE): As a solid object moves through air, a certain amount of friction (called skin friction) occurs between the surface and air, which tends to slow the moving solid object. The resistance is the force opposing the movement of the object at point of contact between the surface and air. *LIFT : A fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts surface force on it. Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the surface force parallel to the flow direction. This is the force pushing the object upwards whilst it moves. *DOWNFORCE: It is the analogue of lift, pushing the car downwards whilst it moves. Down-force is a downwards thrust created by the aerodynamic characteristics of a car. The purpose of down-force is to allow a car to travel faster through a corner by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip. *ROLLING FRICTION: Force opposing the rolling of the wheels at the point of contact with the track. Also the friction within the ball bearing based on points of contact within races of the bearing. *SURFACE AREA: Less surface area of the object reduces skin friction ,the total mass , and also a considerable amount of viscous air drag. The symmetry in the surface area of the care ensures that equal amounts force is distributed at either side enabling the stable motion of the car on the track. USEFUL LINKS: youtube/watch?v=bC8v6hlXnSk&feature=related youtube/watch?v=jYaIXWNOa_A youtube/watch?v=Ftj6A2P7lmw youtube/watch?v=ooQ1F2jb10A&feature=related youtube/watch?v=z2LsalyVq68&feature=relmfu youtube/watch?v=Vjk9Ux2COx0&feature=related youtube/watch?v=7jTeiz_f1iY&feature=related youtube/watch?v=RgUtFm93Jfo&feature=related youtube/watch?v=Ays6luaS4r0&feature=related youtube/watch?v=5ltjFEei3AI&feature=related youtube/watch?v=k7hTnkbmodI&feature=related Hopr you find these information usefull :) and wish you the best of luck ;)
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 20:55:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015