Here is where I’ll dive into a little more detail of some engineering projects, academic endeavors, and other personal interests!
Wind Tunnel Testing & Research
Wind tunnels are an essential tool for simulating real-world effects of aerodynamic turbulence, airfoil kinematics and physics, as well as flight efficiency.
Our team tested both NACA airfoil patterns, as well as 3D-printed scaled down models of race vehicle spoilers and surfaces. Lift is an important asset for flying craft in atmosphere, but not so desirable for maximizing friction with the ground on a racecar!
One of the biggest questions I had during this testing and analysis period was, how big of an effect were deflecting turbulences and boundary-layer growth to the Reynolds numbers we were finding. Our Flotek 1440 was a relatively sizable tunnel for the models we had on test, but how much of a difference would sizing up the cross sectional area of fluid flow make on the eventual Re calculations?
The honeycomb flow conditioning at the inlet helps to ease this, but I still wondered about how accurate our velocity profile was, especially at the higher V values. I realized quickly that this is probably why the ratio of cross-sectional area to model diameter in commercial aviation tunnel tests is so large.
Nevada Formula Electric – Composites & 3D Frame Design
Choosing a Carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite for our team’s car was essential for preserving strength to weight, and being able to shape the aero body to our exact preferences.
Nevada FSAE – Ride Dynamics and Dampening
For suspension dampening, we utilized highly adjustable Ohlins TTX coilovers with external tuning reservoirs, attached to the steering assembly in the front of the vehicle, and the welded chassis in the rear.