Aerodynamic optimization of a solar powered race vehicle

Author(s)
Augenbergs, Peteris K
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.
Advisor
J. Kim Vandiver.
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Abstract
Aerodynamic optimization was performed on Tesseract, the MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team's 2003-2005 solar car using Wind Tunnel 8 at Jacobs/Sverdrup Drivability Test Facility in Allen Park, MI. These tests include angle of attack and ride height optimization, as well as vehicle-level details such as wheel fairing length, surface finish, sealing, and rear-view mirrors. These tests achieved a net reduction in drag, an increase in stability due to lift force reduction, and valuable knowledge of boundary layer conditions which will be used in future designs.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, February 2006.
 
Includes bibliographical references (leaf 19).
 
Date issued
2006
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36295
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Mechanical Engineering.
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