Aerodynamic optimization of a solar powered race vehicle

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, February 2006. === Includes bibliographical references (leaf 19). === Aerodynamic optimization was performed on Tesseract, the MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team's 2003-2005 solar car using Wind Tunnel 8 at Jaco...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Augenbergs, Peteris K
Other Authors: J. Kim Vandiver.
Format: Others
Language:English
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36295
Description
Summary:Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, February 2006. === Includes bibliographical references (leaf 19). === 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. === by Peteris K. Augenbergs. === S.B.