Assessment of conventional and air-jet wheel deflectors for drag reduction of the DrivAer model

Advances in Aerodynamics

Sandra K. S. Boetcher¹  Kaloki L. Nabutola¹ 

[1] Department of Mechanical Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, USA;

关键词: Vehicle aerodynamics;    Wheel and wheelhouse aerodynamics;    Automotive;    Active flow control;    Passive flow control;    DrivAer;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s42774-021-00086-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Aerodynamic drag is a large resistance force to vehicle motion, particularly at highway speeds. Conventional wheel deflectors were designed to reduce the wheel drag and, consequently, the overall vehicle drag; however, they may actually be detrimental to vehicle aerodynamics in modern designs. In the present study, computational fluid dynamics simulations were conducted on the notchback DrivAer model—a simplified, yet realistic, open-source vehicle model that incorporates features of a modern passenger vehicle. Conventional and air-jet wheel deflectors upstream of the front wheels were introduced to assess the effect of underbody-flow deflection on the vehicle drag. Conventional wheel-deflector designs with varying heights were observed and compared to 45∘ and 90∘ air-jet wheel deflectors. The conventional wheel deflectors reduced wheel drag but resulted in an overall drag increase of up to 10%. For the cases studied, the 90∘ air jet did not reduce the overall drag compared to the baseline case; the 45∘ air jet presented drag benefits of up to 1.5% at 35 m/s and above. Compared to conventional wheel deflectors, air-jet wheel deflectors have the potential to reduce vehicle drag to a greater extent and present the benefit of being turned off at lower speeds when flow deflection is undesirable, thus improving efficiency and reducing emissions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY