Aerodynamics

Tutorial Rail Car

A railcar designed and built using a tutorial to provide a basic understanding of aerodynamics. The completed assembly can be seen on the left.

Blank Front

A view of the blank body showing the slope of the front and the axel holes.

Blank Back

A view of the blank showing the CO2 cartridge hole.

Post Loft and Cut

Showing the cockpit loft and the cuts on the side

Top view

A view of the top of the vehicle, making the side cutouts more visible

Wheel Standoffs and Fenders

The standoffs and fenders help to make the vehicle more aerodynamic and keep the tires away from the body.

Completed Cockpit

Cockpit complete with split lines and transparency for windows.

Front Wheel

Front wheel with rim and tire.

Front Rim

Front rim with axel hole at the rear.

Front Tire

Small rubber circle.

Rear Wheel

Rear wheel with rim and tire.

Rear Rim

Rear rim with an axel hole at the back.

Rear Tire

Big rubber circle.

Washer

Rear Axel

Shorter of the two axels.

Longer of the two axels.

Flow Animation 1

The gif on the left displays the air flow, red air is high pressure and blue is low pressure.

Flow Animation 2

The gif on the right displays the same animation, but with the rear tires replaced with the thinner front ones. This greatly reduces the overall air pressure and drag.

Drag differences

The tables below display the differences in drag and lift. The first car has lower lift, meaning it'll more reliably stay on the ground, however it has a much higher drag which will reduce the overall speed.

Car 1 tables

Car 2 Tables

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