The influence of an upstream diffuser on a downstream wing in ground effect

In a further effort to provide additional insight into the aerodynamic factors that may influence the creation of overtaking opportunities in open-wheeled racing categories such as Formula 1, a series of wind tunnel experiments were initiated at the University of Southampton to provide information on the effect that an upstream diffuser in ground effect may have on a downstream single-element wing in ground effect. Investigations focused on force measurements and on the extraction of wake profiles from the downstream wing and its flow field. The upstream model configuration was altered by changing the angle of the diffuser ramp and by varying the height of the diffuser above the ground. It was found that a lower diffuser angle increased the efficiency of the downstream wing and that changes to the vortex wake generated by the diffuser induced changes to the wake characteristics of the wing. It was also found that decreasing the ride height of the bluff body produced an increase in the thickness of the wake of the downstream wing.