FEA / Simulation Experimental Simulation Soidworks 25' Personal Project
Williams FW31 front wing CAD and Simulation
Williams FW31 front wing CAD and Simulation
Sebastian Carias · June-July
Sebastian Carias · June-July
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Project Description: Reconstructed the Williams FW31 front wing in SolidWorks using advanced surface modelling techniques and executed a full external aerodynamic CFD simulation at representative F1 race speed (100 m/s / 360 km/h). The simulation produced 2,503.5 N of downforce and an L/D ratio of 1.608, with converged results in 118 iterations. Pressure distributions and flow trajectories validate correct aerodynamic loading across the multi-element wing assembly.
PROBLEM & MOTIVATION
PROBLEM & MOTIVATION
The front wing is the first aerodynamic surface to interact with freestream air on an F1 car. On the 2009 Williams FW31, it operates under FIA wide-front/narrow-rear wing regulations, making its primary function airflow conditioning ahead of the sidepods rather than peak downforce generation. Modelling and simulating this component develops practical skills in surface CAD and external aerodynamics — directly relevant to F1 aerodynamic design roles.
The front wing is the first aerodynamic surface to interact with freestream air on an F1 car. On the 2009 Williams FW31, it operates under FIA wide-front/narrow-rear wing regulations, making its primary function airflow conditioning ahead of the sidepods rather than peak downforce generation. Modelling and simulating this component develops practical skills in surface CAD and external aerodynamics — directly relevant to F1 aerodynamic design roles.
ROLE & CONTRIBUTIONS
ROLE & CONTRIBUTIONS
- Sole engineer — full ownership of CAD, simulation setup, post-processing, and documentation
- Reconstructed multi-component front wing geometry from FW31 reference imagery using SolidWorks surface modelling (lofted surfaces, boundary surfaces, surface trims, knit-to-solid)
- Configured external flow domain with freestream conditions, turbulence parameters, and engineering goals (downforce, drag, lateral force)
- Post-processed pressure field, flow trajectories, and goal convergence plots from SolidWorks Flow Simulation
TECHNICAL DETAILS
TECHNICAL DETAILS
- CAD Platform: SolidWorks 2025 — surface lofts, boundary surfaces, replace-face, boolean combine
- CFD Solver: SolidWorks Flow Simulation 2025 SP5.0 — external RANS, k-ε turbulence model
- Freestream Conditions: V = 100 m/s, P = 101,325 Pa, T = 293.2 K, turbulence intensity = 0.10%
- Reynolds Number: Re ≈ 1.86 × 10⁶ (fully turbulent boundary layer)
- CFRP Properties: E = 70 GPa, ν = 0.10, G = 31.8 GPa, σ_ult = 600 MPa
- Reference Vehicle: 2009 Williams FW31 (FIA 2009 aero regulations)
RESULTS & EVALUATION
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