Optimal Design of FSAE Airfoils Based on Hicks-Henne Function

The aerodynamic package plays a crucial role in the performance of FSAE race cars. Airfoils in race car design require careful selection and optimization for its role as the designing foundation of the front wing, rear wing, and other aerodynamic components. In this study, the selected airfoil is parameterized using Hicks-Henne function. Then, an automated airfoil optimization process adapting the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm built in Isight, which combines Xfoil, MATLAB, and STAR-CCM+, is introduced. The optimized airfoil had a higher lift coefficient and lift-to-drag ratio of 148.23 at the targeted optimization attack angle. The optimized airfoil was then applied to a test car, which contributed to an increase by 24.38% in the lift of the front wing and 14.11% in the lift of the whole car. The proposed method can efficiently improve the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil, which lays a solid foundation for the subsequent aerodynamic development of the entire car.