Abstract:
Today, energy efficiency is a topic of great importance not
only due to limited energy resources, but also their impact on
environment. In the case of vehicles, great effort is being spent
on reducing weight and making the form more and more
aerodynamic to reduce fuel consumption and increase energy
efficiency. However, there is a limit to this form because a
vehicle should never lose traction. A highly aerodynamic form
reduces the downward force which provides the vehicle its
traction.
A trailer with a highly aerodynamic form was investigated
to determine if it would lose traction at different speeds and
under different wind conditions. Simulations were carried out
using the CFD commercial code ANSYS CFX to determine the
flow field and the forces (lift, drag, downward force, etc.)
around the trailer. The calculation domain was taken large
enough not to affect the flow field. The partial differential
turbulent flow equations (continuity, momentum, and
turbulence equations) were solved in three dimensions to find
the velocity and pressure distributions. Different trailer forms
were also investigated. The type of vehicle towing the trailer
also has an impact on the flow field around it. Thus, different
types of vehicles were considered in the simulations. The
results demonstrated that certain forms could cause the loss of
traction at high enough speeds. In this article, the model is
explained, and the results of a number of cases are presented
and discussed.
Description:
Papers presented to the 12th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Costa de Sol, Spain on 11-13 July 2016.
