Being a STEM
Ambassador, I keep check with what STEM enrichment activities are planned that
I feel I could support with my experience. I saw an “F1 Aerodynamics”
related request and it tickled my buds somewhat! So I vested my interest via
the formal portal/method to/with STEM and this was responded to.
What was the challenge? It is a global competition given
as per:
“The Competition - What's It All About?
You
are a Formula One™ team commissioned to design, construct and race the fastest
Formula One Car of the Future, powered by compressed air cylinders.”
The first of the activities was in a middle school in
Whitley Bay, to simply share my experience (having been an Aerodynamicist) with
the Year 8 kids taking part in the F1 challenge. I enjoyed helping them with
what they were doing at that part of their challenge.  |
Wow.
I would have loved to have had that opportunity at that age. Unbelievable!
Showing my age, a bit?! (my middle school had a BBC!)
F1
in Schools is the only global multi-disciplinary challenge in which teams of
students aged 9 to 19 have to use CAD (Computer Aided Design)/CAM (Computer
Aided Manufacture) software to collaborate, design, analyse, manufacture, test,
and then race miniature compressed air powered balsa wood F1 cars. Not quite
D&R as I did!
What was involved? Without too much detail, the project
goes something like:
Form a team; Business and Sponsorship Plan; Design, using
3D CAD software; Analyse – aerodynamics, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics);
Make using 3D CAM; Test, the aerodynamics are tested in wind and smoke tunnels;
Pit Booth; Scrutineering; Engineering Judging; Verbal Presentation; Portfolio Judging;
and Race!
I was amazed to see what is available these days
(hardware and software) for the students/kids and their understanding of it,
even now. Fair play respectively to designers and teachers for this.
What
did I do? I explained as simply as I could about the 4 basic fundamental forces
involved in flight and basic Bernouilli’s
Principle (no patronisation intended!) around an aerofoil to
produce LIFT, being 1 of the 4; DRAG, WEIGHT and THRUST the others. F1 though?
NEGATIVE LIFT = DOWN FORCE (helps cars stick to the
road).
Seeing their understanding was brilliant to see (and that
I haven’t fully lost it, yet!).
Aerodynamics are used in many applications!
Aerodynamics are used in many applications!