Methods of Reducing Vehicle Aerodynamic Drag

Abstract

A small scale model (length 1710 mm) of General Motor SUV was built and tested in the wind tunnel for expected wind conditions and road clearance. Two passive devices, rear screen which is plate behind the car and rear fairing where the end of the car is aerodynamically extended, were incorporated in the model and tested in the wind tunnel for different wind conditions. The conclusion is that rear screen could reduce drag up to 6.5% and rear fairing can reduce the drag by 26%. There were additional tests for front edging and rear vortex generators. The results for drag reduction were mixed. It should be noted that there are aesthetic and practical considerations that may allow only partial implementation of these or any drag reduction options.

On the drag reduction of road vehicles with trailing edge-integrated lobed mixers

“…Similar results were also presented by Pujals et al 27 with up to 10% reduction in drag, and Wood 5 with fuel economy improvement of 1%–5%. Other studies, however, noted either only marginal drag benefits (1.2%–1.7%) 28,29 or overall increases in drag. 28,30 The research suggests that while the supplementary vorticity results in increases in base pressure, the additional induced drag may outweigh the benefits.…”

Perancangan Mekanisme Spoiler Dinamis

“…Untuk mengatasi gaya hambat maka diperlukan desain bentuk kendaraan yang streamline demikian juga komponen-komponen aerodinamikanya. Salah satu komponen aerodinamika adalah wing sebagai passive option untuk reduksi drag [8]. Wing digunakan untuk memberikan gaya tekan ke bawah (downforce) atau gaya lift negatif.…”

Combined Aero and Underhood Thermal Analysis for Heavy Duty Trucks

“…Sirenko et al [4] had shown higher fuel savings using rear screens and rear fairings for a light-duty General Motors SUV. Song et al [5] performed aerodynamic optimization of a sedan for drag reduction using artificial neural networks and CFD approach.…”