Comparative analysis of the aerodynamic behavior on Ahmed body mounted with different wheel configurations

Abstract

Wheel configuration is the great significance for vehicle aerodynamics, and understanding the influences of wheel configuration on the aerodynamic behaviors of vehicle is a good choice to effectively decrease aerodynamic drag and optimize aerodynamic efficiency. In this study, the aerodynamic characteristics of Ahmed body mounted with different wheels configurations were evaluated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using the lattice Boltzmann method. The simulation results were compared with published research data to study resolutions independence and verify the accuracy of the numerical method. The four opening areas of the rim were used to form different wheel configurations. The result showed that the drag of the front and rear wheels increases linearly with the increase of the rim opening area, while the drag of the bodywork decreases linearly. Downstream the body region, the structures of vortex shedding and surface pressure presented differences for each wheel configuration, which further resulted in different fluctuation intensities in wake vortices. The order of the width of the wake vortices in wheel region was as follows: W4 > W3 > W2 > W1. The front wheel had a mainly affect on the time-averaged slipstream peak around the outside of vehicle body.

Numerical Study on Aerodynamic Noise Reduction in Passenger Car with Fender Shape Optimization

“…Under high-speed driving conditions, aerodynamic noise gradually becomes the predominant noise source inside the vehicle when the speed reaches or exceeds 100 km/h [1,2]. Currently, considerable progress has been made in reducing engine noise, vibration noise, and tire-road noise [3,4].…”

Investigation on Flow Characteristics of Generic Car Body with Different Boundary Conditions

“…On the other hand, adding rotating wheels and moving grounds on a wind or water tunnel is a tough mission and might result in a high cost for researchers. Although there are various studies focusing on the effects of ground floor motion [12,13], wheel addition [14,15], and wheel rotation [16,17] with different models and setups in the aerodynamic literature, there is no comprehensive and comparative study of the effects of changing these boundary conditions covering all scenarios. In this context, including moving ground and rotating wheels in CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations and comparing their qualitative and quantitative flow parameters extensively with the original Ahmed Body experiment is the main objective of this paper.…”