This month I have a special feature newsletter for you that gathers together all the recent wind tunnel Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) blog posts, including a new two part series which compares a virtual wind tunnel with free air for an open wheel racecar. The Caedium Professional simulations show that even though the Reynolds number is different between the wind tunnel and a full size simulation, the results can still be useful in guiding the aerodynamic design of a racecar.

CFD Simulation of a Racecar in a Wind TunnelStreamlines, vectors, and velocity magnitude contours

Virtual Wind Tunnel and Free Air CFD Comparison Part 1/2

Often the ultimate aim of performing a wind tunnel test on a scale model is to provide data on how the full size equivalent will behave in free air. This is especially true in motor racing (e.g., Formula 1) where teams use a combination of wind tunnels and CFD to guide what they hope is a winning racecar design. As a follow on to my project to build a virtual wind tunnel to test an open wheel racecar, here I start a two-part project to compare results between the virtual wind tunnel and free air using a series of CFD simulations. Read more >>

Virtual Wind Tunnel and Free Air CFD Comparison Part 2/2

Welcome to the concluding episode of my two-part project to compare results between the virtual wind tunnel and free air using a series of CFD simulations. Recall that the previous post outlined the free air tests and expectations for the comparison. Here I present the results and conclusions. Read more >>

CFD Simulation of a Racecar in a Wind Tunnel

Having recently built a CFD simulation of the Honda Wind Tunnel at Imperial College, it seemed only fitting to actually use it to perform a virtual test on a scale model. Clearly, given the wind tunnel's close association with motor racing, the test model had to be a racecar. Read more >>

Wind Tunnel Explained With Computational Fluid Dynamics

Have you ever wondered what are the main features of a wind tunnel and what purpose do they fulfill? Well wonder no more. With the help of CFD let's explore a closed return wind tunnel based on the Honda Wind Tunnel at Imperial College, London. Read more >>