The purpose of the current experiments was to investigate the flow field around the first generation Toyota MR2 automobile. The Mk1 MR2 has a unique body shape that is characterized by sharp edges and a notch-back geometry. I have always loved the look and shape of the MR2, however it’s design is far from aerodynamically optimized. In these experiments, the flow field was broken up into segments and investigated individually. First, the production geometry was tested to identify the aerodynamics of the unmodified vehicle. Next, geometric modifications were applied to investigate their effect on the aerodynamics.
Experiments were performed using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique on a 1/24th scale Toyota MR2 model. The experiments were performed at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) in the recirculating water channel in the experimental fluid dynamics laboratory. It is important to note that the experiments presented in this report were made using water as the flow medium, despite this, the results are directly comparable to air-based experiments.
The purpose of the current experiments was to investigate the flow field around the first generation Toyota MR2 automobile. The Mk1 MR2 has a unique body shape that is characterized by sharp edges and a notch-back geometry. I have always loved the look and shape of the MR2, however it’s design is far from aerodynamically optimized. In these experiments, the flow field was broken up into segments and investigated individually. First, the production geometry was tested to identify the aerodynamics of the unmodified vehicle. Next, geometric modifications were applied to investigate their effect on the aerodynamics.
Experiments were performed using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique on a 1/24th scale Toyota MR2 model. The experiments were performed at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) in the recirculating water channel in the experimental fluid dynamics laboratory. It is important to note that the experiments presented in this report were made using water as the flow medium, despite this, the results are directly comparable to air-based experiments.