Design Optimization of Vanes in Ventilated Brake Disc

Ventilated brake discs are among the most suitable option for many automotive applica-tions,particularly for race car applications. The aerodynamic features of a ventilated brake disc sig-nificantly impact on its heat dissipation and thermal performance characteristics. One of the main parameters requiring optimization is the convective heat transfer coefficient of the air that flows through the vanes of the brake disc. The heat transfer coefficient depends on the Reynolds number, which increases with fluid velocity. More heat is dissipated with a larger exposed area. Thus, the goal is to improve the heat dissipation capacity of the fluid flowing through by introducing turbulence into the flow. In this study, vane design was validated using numerical method Finite Element Analysis in ANSYS software. Under the assumption of a steady flow through a stationary vane, the goal was to observe the amount of heat absorbed from the walls of the vane by the air flowing through. The stud-ied vane design incorporates a converging cross-section with protrusions along the flow path to im-prove the convective cooling coefficient. The outlet temperature of air from the vane was 7.6% higher in the new vane design compared to the industry standard vane as well as approximately 21.58% more heat was dissipated by the new vane design.