Downforcer

The Downforcer is a splitter that will be made for any E36 generation BMW vehicles. The Downforcer will be attached to the front bumper of the car. The products design allows air to flow faster underneath the car and slower above the car creating a suction-like effect that will push the car down. This is especially important in sports performance cars that are becoming more and more lightweighted while increasing in speeds. This product creates better traction for the wheels, increasing it's manuverability, untimately giving the car not only better performance but some beautiful aesthetic flare.

Design Concerns

Build Concerns

For the Downforcer, the main design concerns the team recognized were a Class-A finish to manipulate the air flow in the desired way, UV protection so the part wouldn't degrade after years of UV exposure, and ease of installation for quick and easy replacments. To combat these concerns, the fabrication process was constantly improved to give the part a better finish, a sunshield clearcoat was used for UV protection, and that part was made to be attached to the bumper with a simple bolt assembly.

Other Concerns

Some other concerns considered were the necessity of a lightweight part as well as a durable one. The part was designed with carbon fiber reinforcement and a honeycomb core for light, durable construction.

Final Design

The final design of the Downforcer features a dual-plane splitter design made out of a sandwich layup of carbon fiber/epoxy with a honeycomb core. The air dam is a simple carbon fiber/epoxy layup. These pieces were layed up onto two different tools. The air dam tool was a female tool made from particle board and TEK tooling board. The splitter tool was a male tool made out of particle board. This splitter part was layed up on top of a table with this tool. The Downforcer is then bolted onto the bumper of the vehicle.

Downforcer 3D Model

Downforcer final design

Downforcer CAD Drawing

Downforcer final design drawing

Downforcer Prototype

First fabrication for the Downforcer

Testing

A series of tests were done to analyize the materials used for the Downforcer. First what was done was tensile testing on three control specimens. Then six other tensile tests were done on three specimens that were exposed to accelereted UV exposure and three specimens that were in a wet tank for six days. These specimens were used to represent how the air dam part would behave. The final test done was a three-point bend test on three specimens with the hexcel core which was used to represent how the splitter base of the Downforcer would behave.