One-Way Fluid Structure Interaction of a Go-Kart Spoiler Using CFD Analysis

Abstract

The spoiler on a go-kart is required to prevent the vehicle becoming airborne at speeds of 80 km/h or more. An optimal spoiler design balances this safety aspect with speed and fuel economy. This paper reports the results of a project to improve the aerodynamic aspects of a go-kart spoiler design using CFD Analysis. We investigated the design of a rear spoiler with three proposed angles (θ1 = 9.5°, θ2 = 19.5°, θ3 = 29.5°). The drag force produced by each of the three designs is compared. Different computational results are discussed such as the air flow velocity, pressure and the applied forces in terms of CFD analysis using one-way fluid structure interaction (one-way FSI) to determine the spoiler stress, strain and drag coefficient. The findings of this paper have implications for the leisure and tourism industries, and may be applicable to other recreational vehicles’ spoilers.

Fluid-Structure Interaction on The Design of Fully Assembled Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM) Prototype Car

“…Numerous FSI studies have been performed on various parts of vehicles on road, for instance, car spoilers [20,21], convertible car roof [22], or even the whole car in braking motion [23]. Kesti and Olsson [18] demonstrated fluid-structure interaction analysis with partitioned approach in both oneway and two-way coupling to analyse the underbody panels.…”

One-Way Fluid Structure Interaction of a Utility Vehicle Splitter using CFD Modelling

“…Car enthusiasts frequently modify their own vehicles with accessories intended to enhance the aerodynamics and give a similar outcome as racing cars. Therefore, there is a significant demand for improvements to the different types of accessories, such as front and rear spoilers, to achieve an acceptable drag coefficient [5]. Previous research has investigated the optimally aerodynamic shapes for racing vehicles, from those that are not used on public roads, such as Go-Karts [5], to those that are roadworthy and high-performance, such as Mercedes-AMG GT [6], and Porsche 911 [7].…”

“…Therefore, there is a significant demand for improvements to the different types of accessories, such as front and rear spoilers, to achieve an acceptable drag coefficient [5]. Previous research has investigated the optimally aerodynamic shapes for racing vehicles, from those that are not used on public roads, such as Go-Karts [5], to those that are roadworthy and high-performance, such as Mercedes-AMG GT [6], and Porsche 911 [7]. Computational simulation has been used in small vehicles, to enhance the design of the chassis in a Go-Kart [8] and in large vehicles, such as modelling the aerodynamic response for a large bus when overtaking, taking into account the interference of crosswind [9].…”

“…Computational simulation has been used in small vehicles, to enhance the design of the chassis in a Go-Kart [8] and in large vehicles, such as modelling the aerodynamic response for a large bus when overtaking, taking into account the interference of crosswind [9]. CFD analysis can also be presented as one-way fluid structure interaction (FSI), as shown in [5], for spoiler optimization or to model a sedan car operating at different cruise speeds [10]. Also, the one-way FSI model was used to investigate the aerodynamic shape for the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) vehicle [11].…”