Aerodynamics of F1 car side mirror

摘要

This study investigates the aerodynamic performance of a Formula 1 carrear view side mirror when the location of its glass is varied inside its frame. Bothexperimental and computational studies have been carried out for a simplifiedtwo-dimensional model of a typical Formula 1 mirror at different Reynoldsnumbers. Experimental results showed strong correlation between the mirror’sglass location and its drag over all investigated Reynolds number range of1.1 × 105 to 2.6 × 105 – as the mirror’s glass is located further inside its frame areduction in the drag is achieved with a maximum of 10%-11%. No change is foundin the mirror’s vortex shedding frequency at all investigated Reynolds numberswhich implies no structural impact of this modification. However thecomputational results obtained using Fluent failed to predict the changes in flowcharacteristics and drag caused by the proposed modification, more calculationsare needed using higher order numerical methods should be performed toinvestigate this phenomenon further to confirm the experimental findings.