Aerodynamic design of the George Washington University Solar Car Sunforce 1 Online publication date: Thu, 29-May-2014
by M.J. Cusack, J.G. Prehn, Catherine Mavriplis
International Journal of Vehicle Design (IJVD), Vol. 18, No. 2, 1997
Abstract: Aerodynamics play a critical role in the success of a competitive solar vehicle. In particular, the topics addressed in this paper are minimizing the drag forces acting on the car surface while providing an effective angle of solar exposure, ventilation, manoeuvring stability, maintenance accessibility, and component 'functional duality', while simultaneously maintaining stringent racing regulations. Starting with a conceptual design, modifications were analysed through a commercial, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package in order to evaluate drag and lift characteristics. By visualizing wind tunnel flow as a means of support of the coded model, the computational design has been validated. Although the design of the George Washington University (GWU) Solar Car. 'Sunforce 1', was geared towards the November 1993 World Solar Challenge held in Australia, results of the fourth place finish in the US Sunrayce '93 were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this design.
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