I wrote an article about 10 years ago about using a technique called aeromap surface fitting to create a ride height sensitive aeromap. This has gone on to form a ChassisSim staple in formulae as diverse as V8 Supercars, Sportscars and high-downforce open wheelers, but is not without its traps for new players in the game. How to overcome this will be the focus of this article.
To set the scene, we need to briefly discuss how downforce is generated. The two processes are illustrated in Figure 1.
The first of the two main methods of downforce generation is airflow directed underneath the car. This accelerates the air and, following Bernoulli’s Theorem, the resulting pressure drop creates downforce.
The second mechanism is air flowing over the wings, which can be nominally calculated using references such as by Abbott and Von Doenhoff and 3D airflow theory. However, the car’s proximity to the ground can also affect the flow of the floor. To prevent any confusion,
