With just over two weeks to go, we spoke with experienced motorsport aerodynamicist Willem Toet about his involvement in this year’s event and what people can expect from his opening keynote.
Q: Could you briefly explain your role and involvement in aerodynamics?
WT: As soon as I realised you could make a vehicle go faster by using the air around it, I was hooked. Started playing on race cars in the 1970’s and haven’t stopped. It’s taken me from Australia to many places in the world, Le Mans, to F1 teams in the UK, Italy and Switzerland and even China – and given me adventures as well as headaches – but mainly a lot of great mental challenges. It has changed my work and private life.
Q: In your experience, what is the number one challenge facing engineers when managing the aerodynamics of a vehicle?
WT: I think the direct aerodynamic challenges keep changing with one overriding theme – trying to improve the simulation of reality, whatever the tools you are using and evolving.
For most people, improving the aerodynamics is the primary role, for me it has often been improving the simulation tools so that everyone using them produces more beneficial simulations. Then, for the vehicle, I think that allowing for real world situations (wind, cornering) is a challenge when governments still focus on straight line still-condition testing.
Q: What is the most exciting development in this field at the moment, either within your company or in your specific engineering sector?
WT: The push by governments to force improvements in fuel consumption is driving a reduction in aerodynamic resistance to motion. This means the aero boffins have some influence over the style gurus (the motor industry “designers”), and that combination has already and should continue to lead to some delicious looking vehicles.
Where do you see for the future of aerodynamics over the next five to ten years?
WT: We probably all thought, 20 years ago, that wind tunnels would fade away as CFD got better, but that’s not what’s been happening and won’t in the next ten. Tunnels too have increasing capability with high speed ground simulations and continuous motion/acquisition.
What is changing is the quality of the tools you can use to simulate reality both in wind tunnels and with CFD. Tunnels give you sensitivity data on multiple degrees of freedom in minutes (heave, pitch, roll, yaw, steer, tyre load, tyre pressure, exhaust simulation, tyre distortion to simulate cornering to name some that don’t give away secrets). CFD visualisation of airflow continues to improve along with accuracy and time to market.
I used to think that my generation was living in the fastest evolving time for aero research, but I’m now thinking that the next generation may also be the lucky ones.
Q: What are you most looking forward to by being the chair of this conference?
WT: Exchanging views with other industry experts and seeing how this engineering science is evolving. Hoping to inspire more young engineers to push the boundaries of research.
Q: Which sessions are you most looking forward to hearing?
WT: This is a particularly interesting conference for me – all the sessions look worth attending. I have particular interest in vehicle interactions and stability, as well as the advancement of CFD and wind tunnel capabilities.
Q: Why should industrial and academic experts in all areas of aerodynamics for road cars, commercial vehicles and motorsport applications join this conference?
WT: This is a conference with a great mix of quality speakers and a large audience of industry insiders. It should be high on your list of musts.
About 12th International Conference in Vehicle Aerodynamics, 16-17 October 2018 in Birmingham.
Lead by keynote presentations from experienced motorsport aerodynamicist Willem Toet and Bloodhound SCC’s Chief of Aerodynamics Ron Ayers, this year’s conference is a key event for all those involved in these areas of vehicle design and development.
For a full list of speakers, presentations, topics and more, please visit the event website.