Driving Innovation: Aerodynamics and Safety
At its core, aerodynamics on a racecar work exactly like those of an airplane, just in the opposite direction. Where a plane uses the air moving over its body and wings to help it climb higher into the sky, a racecar will use its body and wings to push it down towards the ground to ensure it stays glued to the road as it travels along at very high speeds. For this reason, the aerodynamics of a racecar must be carefully designed, built and tested if it is to race at speeds up to 200 mph.
The 30-meter long and two-meter wide PWR wind tunnel is a blown, open-jet design. The coolers are attached to the downwind end of the test section. PWR uses its in-house wind tunnel to gather the aerodynamic data for the cooling products it makes and passes that information on to our teams and manufacturers to ensure that the car is going to stay on the road, while also staying cool.
There are many ways to do this including CFD (Contract for Differences) wind tunnels and rolling roads. Some testing will be done with a full-size car, others with scale models or even just one section of the car. While the wings and body play the biggest part in the aerodynamic design of the car, the radiators contained within the sidepods of the car also affect how the car moves through the air, and as such, serve as aerodynamic components, as well as cooling systems.