Underbody Aerodynamic Body Layout for Pitch-Sensitive Downforce
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-performance vehicles face challenges in aerodynamic design due to limited space under the chassis, leading to airflow interference, increased pitch sensitivity, and reduced control over lift and downforce forces, particularly when multiple aerodynamic bodies are close together, resulting in stall and tyre wake issues.
Innovation Solution
An aerodynamic system with a mounting structure that fixes aerodynamic bodies to the vehicle's floor inboard of their outboard edges, allowing for independent or collective movement, generating vortices and reducing pitch sensitivity through adjustable configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple aerodynamic bodies are fitted close together under the vehicle chassis, then airflow guidance capability is improved, but wash in the airflow causes stall and reduces control
Solution Approach 1:
The aerodynamic bodies are made movable relative to the vehicle chassis, allowing dynamic adjustment of their positions and angles. This enables the system to optimize airflow guidance while preventing stall by adjusting the configuration based on operating conditions, resolving the contradiction between close proximity for better guidance and spacing for stall prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The angle of attack and position of each aerodynamic body can be independently adjusted. By changing these parameters dynamically, the system maintains effective airflow guidance without creating excessive wash that would cause stall, thus resolving the contradiction between guidance capability and stall prevention.
2Volume of moving object
If the chassis floor is lowered to maintain cabin space, then cabin space is preserved, but space for aerodynamic bodies under the centre of the vehicle is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The aerodynamic bodies are positioned outboard towards the sides of the vehicle rather than only under the centre. This utilizes the lateral dimension of the chassis space, allowing effective aerodynamic bodies to be fitted without requiring additional vertical space that would compromise cabin volume.
3Force
If aerodynamic devices are fitted at the front and rear underside of the vehicle, then lift and downforce forces are generated, but pitch sensitivity increases and control becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The aerodynamic bodies are made movable and can be independently controlled. By dynamically adjusting the position and angle of each aerodynamic body, the system can generate the required lift and downforce forces while actively managing pitch sensitivity, making the aerodynamic characteristics controllable rather than fixed and difficult to manage.
Solution Approach 2:
The aerodynamic system is divided into multiple independently controllable aerodynamic bodies rather than a single integrated device. This segmentation allows independent control of each body's contribution to lift and downforce, enabling precise management of pitch sensitivity and overall aerodynamic control.
4Force
If the angle of attack of the forward aerodynamic body is increased, then lift and downforce are improved, but wash in the airflow over the rearward aerodynamic body increases causing stall
Solution Approach 1:
Both forward and rearward aerodynamic bodies are made movable with independent angle of attack control. This allows the system to optimize the angle of attack of each body dynamically, maintaining high lift and downforce from the forward body while preventing excessive wash-induced stall at the rearward body through coordinated adjustment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances airflow guidance, reduces stall risk, and improves control over lift and downforce forces, minimizing pitch sensitivity and tyre wake effects, thereby optimizing vehicle aerodynamics.
Implementation Method 1
the system is arranged such that incoming airflow to the vehicle causes vortices to be generated off the outboard edges of the aerodynamic body
Implementation Method 2
the aerodynamic body is angled downwards at the leading edge of the aerodynamic body with respect to the floor of the aerodynamic chassis such that downforce is generated by the aerodynamic body
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2d
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
Disclosed is an aerodynamic system (400) for an underside of a vehicle (700), the system comprising: an aerodynamic chassis (300), the aerodynamic chassis comprising a main compartment (301) bounded by a plurality of walls (302) and a floor (303) extending between the walls; and an aerodynamic device (200), the aerodynamic device comprising: a mounting structure (201), the mounting structure being fixedly mounted to the floor of the aerodynamic chassis; and an aerodynamic body (202), the aerodynamic body comprising a leading edge (204), a trailing edge (205) and at least two outboard edges (206, 207), the aerodynamic body being fixable to the floor of the aerodynamic chassis by the mounting structure, the mounting structure being located wholly inboard of the outboard edges of the aerodynamic body.