MFT06 lateral Venturi aerodynamics

Project · Project 71

Aerodynamic development of the lateral Venturi system of the MFT06 Formula Student race car, performing CAD modelling in SolidWorks and extensive parametric CFD studies in SimScale across a wide range of geometric configurations.

Design exploration

Multiple design concepts were developed and evaluated including cascade elements (angle of attack and chord variations), airfoil profiles, wheelplates, strakes and nosewing configurations, exploring a large design space through structured iteration rather than one-off changes.

Lateral Venturi and side channel geometry/assets/img/projects/mft06-venturi-geometry.png

Fig. 1 — Lateral Venturi and side channel configuration.

Method

Flow analysis was performed using velocity contours and aerodynamic coefficients (C_l, C_d) to guide design decisions, focusing on flow attachment, separation control, and downstream flow conditioning — the side channel does not only produce load itself, it conditions what the rest of the car receives.

Velocity contours through the Venturi/assets/img/projects/mft06-velocity.png

Fig. 2 — Velocity contours showing flow through the channel.

Results

The Venturi performance was optimised under regulatory and packaging constraints, including internal component integration, achieving improvements in flow quality and downforce generation while maintaining drag levels.

Critical flow issues such as recirculation and separation were identified and resolved through geometry and airfoil refinement. Engineering trade-offs were made by discarding low-impact concepts on a performance-versus-complexity basis, which matters in a Formula Student context where manufacturing time is as much a constraint as aerodynamics.