The interaction of a rotating cylinder and an inverted aerofoil in ground effect: validation and verification

A forward located wing can be responsible for generating a significant amount of the downforce for an open wheeler race car, while the wheels can account for a large amount of the drag. This study is part of a larger project that considers the interaction between a wing and a wheel, using both computational and experimental data. The current study outlines the verification and validation study that was conducted to determine the suitability of the computational model, before a more detailed analysis is undertaken. Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) measurements have been used to initially select the most appropriate turbulence model; further more detailed measurements have allowed the selected model to be tested for accuracy and limitations. The agreement between the LDA values and the computational model suggests that the interaction of the aerofoil and cylinder was correctly modeled with the RNG k-ε turbulence model. Changes in the flow due to the aerofoil parameters have been correctly predicted in the wake of the cylinder, between the aerofoil and cylinder and upstream of the aerofoil and cylinder. The computational model also demonstrated that the presence of the cylinder has an adverse effect on the aerodynamic performance of the inverted aerofoil and variation was also seen in the aerodynamic performance of the cylinder.