Student race teams use Ford wind tunnel in Allen Park

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Ford has been mentoring the next generation of student race teams, offering the time and expertise of its engineers and allowing teams to test their cars in its wind tunnel facilities in Allen Park, Michigan.

A wide variety of teams have been using the facilities. These include the University of Michigan-Dearborn; University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Missouri University of Science and Technology; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Michigan State University; and The Ohio State University.

“For Ford this is great community involvement. We have the testing facilities, we can answer the technical questions, and we can offer occasional manufacturing support,” said Erik Stancato, a Ford vehicle architecture-vehicle integration engineer.

The facility enables the students to do full design cycles. Steve Wegryn, Ford supervisor of wind tunnel operations, explained, “By simulating race speeds, they can validate their projections and estimations on downforce and drag with hard data – enabling them to tweak their designs for optimal performance.”

September 7, 2016

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John joined UKi Media & Events in 2012 and has worked across a range of B2B titles within the company's automotive, marine and entertainment divisions. Currently editor of Automotive Testing Technology International, Crash Test Technology International and Electric & Hybrid Marine Technology International, John co-ordinates the day-the-day operations of each magazine, from commissioning and writing to editing and signing-off, as well managing web content. Aside from the magazines, John also serves as co-chairman of the annual Electric & Hybrid Marine Awards and can be found sniffing out stories throughout the halls of several of UKI's industry-leading expo events.




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