Design of a Radiator Assembly for a Formula Student Vehicle

The cooling of a racing car is an important aspect that has significant implications for both its reliability and performance. In an extremely competitive championship like Formula Student, a properly sized cooling system is essential for achieving excellent results in dynamic events. The purpose of this master’s thesis is to design a radiator assembly for the Politecnico di Torino SC26 Formula Student car. To achieve this, it was necessary to analyze the car’s design targets in order to understand how the radiator assembly could help achieve them. The results were the targets of the cooling system and, as a consequence, the targets of the radiator assembly. The project was then advanced using CAD software, thermal simulations, and CFD simulations. Once the radiator was sized, the next step was to find the correct position for the assembly within the car, taking into account three KPIs: air flow, interaction with aerodynamics, and influence on weight distribution. Subsequently, after selecting the best positioning, optimization was performed to improve its integration with the car’s other assemblies. The result was a component that, compared to the previous solution, is able to dissipate 39% more heat into the environment, respecting the car’s new targets, while reducing weight by 29%.