Aerodynamics of F1 car side mirror

Abstract

This study investigates the aerodynamic performance of a Formula 1 car
rear view side mirror when the location of its glass is varied inside its frame. Both
experimental and computational studies have been carried out for a simplified
two-dimensional model of a typical Formula 1 mirror at different Reynolds
numbers. Experimental results showed strong correlation between the mirror’s
glass location and its drag over all investigated Reynolds number range of
1.1 × 105 to 2.6 × 105 – as the mirror’s glass is located further inside its frame a
reduction in the drag is achieved with a maximum of 10%-11%. No change is found
in the mirror’s vortex shedding frequency at all investigated Reynolds numbers
which implies no structural impact of this modification. However the
computational results obtained using Fluent failed to predict the changes in flow
characteristics and drag caused by the proposed modification, more calculations
are needed using higher order numerical methods should be performed to
investigate this phenomenon further to confirm the experimental findings.

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