Christian A.

Education

• McMaster University Bachelor in Enggineering, Mechanical Engineering, null 2024 – 2029 (expected) Activities and Societies: McMaster Formula SAE This year, my primary responsibility on the Formula SAE aerodynamics sub team is on the floor and diffuser. My research begins with core fluid dynamics principles, most importantly Bernoulli’s principle, which states that as the speed of a fluid increases, its pressure decreases. This relationship is fundamental to ground effect. By shaping the floor and diffuser like a wing, we accelerate the airflow under the floor by squeezing the air between the floor and the ground, reducing the pressure, allowing the floor to generate significant downforce.
  
  Over the course of several months, I have designed numerous iterations of the floor and diffuser in SolidWorks and tested them in our fluid dynamics simulation software, Ansys Fluent. All data, 2D and 3D plots from Ansys is exported to excel, where we keep track of the performance of each iteration. We then graph our data to see how our changes in CAD improves performance. I was able to improve airflow efficiency by 70%, contributing to an increase by a factor of four in downforce and significantly enhancing cornering stability.
  
  Collaboration is essential in the team, and I work closely with the suspension and manufacturing teams throughout design reviews to ensure our aerodynamic elements integrate cleanly with tire/steering clearances, suspension travel, and manufacturability requirements. Once designs are finalized, we will 3D print and sand the molds then lay the carbon fibre and infuse the carbon with resin. Once cured, we will pop the components out of the molds, trim the edges, install the mounting hardware, and fit the completed assemblies to the car.