Flow Physics of a Race Car Wing With Vortex Generators in Ground Effect

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This paper experimentally investigates the use of vortex generators for separation control on an inverted wing in ground effect using off-surface flow measurements and surface flow visualization. A typical racing car wing geometry is tested in a rolling road wind tunnel over a wide range of incidences and ride heights. Rectangular vane type of sub-boundary layer and large-scale vortex generators are attached to the suction surface, comprising counter-rotating and corotating configurations. The effects of both device height and spacing are examined. The counter-rotating sub-boundary layer vortex generators and counter-rotating large-scale vortex generators suppress the flow separation at the center of each device pair, while the counter-rotating large-scale vortex generators induce horseshoe vortices between each device where the flow is separated. The corotating sub-boundary layer vortex generators tested here show little evidence of separation control. Increasing the spacing of the counter-rotating sublayer vortex generator induces significant horseshoe vortices, comparable to those seen in the counter-rotating large-scale vortex generator case. Wake surveys show significant spanwise variance behind the wing equipped with the counter-rotating large-scale vortex generators, while the counter-rotating sub-boundary layer vortex generator configuration shows a relatively small variance in the spanwise direction. The flow characteristics revealed here suggest that counter-rotating sub-boundary layer vortex generators can provide effective separation control for race car wings in ground effect.

©2009 American Society of Mechanical Engineers