Aerospace applications that are not in the air... or in space...
As part of a team, we were tasked to chose the optimal airfoil geometry for a race car spoiler competing in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb race. To solve this problem, we modeled the performance of a range of airfoils under variable altitude and velocity conditions using XFoil. We developed a weighted decision matrix to balance downforce and drag across multiple race segments. We prioritized different preformance at different parts in the race depending on the altitude of that given section, leading to the selection of the S-1223 airfoil at an -11° angle of attack for superior high-altitude performance.
Type: Aerospace Analysis and Design Optimization / Automotive Engineering
Goal: Identify the optimal airfoil geometry for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb Race
Problems: Very unconstrained problem with a very large variety of airfoils to choose from, little to know knowledge of the race, undefined preformance characteristics to produce "optimal design"
Solutions: Defined optimization parameters, analyzed previous races to identify track characteristics, constrain possible airfoils to manageable amount, run two-dimensional airfoil analysis with Xfoil, set up run a decision matrix defined by the optimization parameters and track research to identify best possible airfoil and angle of attack
Time: October 2024
Learned Skills:
What are the preformance characteristics of the airfoil which need to be optimized? How can we constrain this unconstrained problem?
We need to optimize the lift (in this case downforce), and L/D, and we need to choose a smaller set of airfoils to compare
Do research on the race itself and find where certian preformance characteristics matter most, do research on possible airfoil types from other similar projects
Construct model, run XFOIL analysis, construct decision matrix
Preform analysis and present results in clean and concise manner