Hi there,

i would greatly appreciate it if someone could give me some advice on the following subject. i really could use some different viewpoints on how-to approach this problem.

i am an aerospace student and i am only familiar with the basics of aerodynamic design and cfd. i really would like to get started on a front wing design of a formula-type race-car. it is a existing double wing design (wing + flap) of which only the flap is free to be modified due to regulations.

at this point i don't have access to a windtunnel, but i would like to start with a 2D optimization of the flap surface in CFD. I am familiar with -again sigh - the basics of programming in C++ but i know more about Matlab. So my question is, is there any existing code which would be a good starting point ? I could imagine that not every code would be able to generate results which do for ex. account for the reattachment of the boundary layer on the flap surface, or the detrimental effect of the wing on the flap surface pressure distribution. Then there's the ground effect...In short, i do not really know where to start with all this software and programming languages. I reckon this question is very general, but pieces of advice would be great ...

Thanx in advance,

Filip

Filip,

Download and install my shareware MicroTunnel,

www.microcfd.com

It can handle 2-D multi-element flow (wing + flap) and you can also switch on ground effect. It is based on an inviscid solver, but you can 'model' boundary layer effects buy turning on a surface roughness parameter.

For a race car, use a Mach number of M = 0.2 (150mph).

Good luck!

Axel Rohde

... buy turning on ...

No subliminal message intended here!

Should read: ... by turning on ...

(Having a bad spelling day!)

Axel