Journal of Applied Science and Engineering

Published by Tamkang University Press

1.30

Impact Factor

1.60

CiteScore

Gopal P. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.1 and Senthilkumar T.1

1Department of Automobile Engineering, University College of Engineering (BIT Campus), Anna University, Tiruchirappalli - 620 024, India


 

Received: December 12, 2012
Accepted: June 5, 2013
Publication Date: December 1, 2013

Download Citation: ||https://doi.org/10.6180/jase.2013.16.4.04  


ABSTRACT


The main causes of aerodynamic drag for automotive vehicles are the separation of flow near the vehicle’s rear end. By reducing the drag it is possible to increase the fuel economy. To delay flow separation, vortex generators are tested for application to the roof end of a representative car model. It is commonly used on aircraft to prevent flow separation. Vortex generators themselves create drag, but they also reduce drag by preventing flow separation at downstream. In this paper the effect of vortex generators in the flow field and the mechanism by which these effects take place are studied. The paper also illustrates the computational fluid dynamics analysis of vortex generators in the representative car model. Various flow characteristics like pressure and velocity distribution, path line characteristics, vector flow, and wake studies at the rear end are discussed in detail.


Keywords: Aerodynamic Drag, Passive Control Device, Drag Characteristics, Drag Coefficient, Vortex Generators


REFERENCES


  1. [1] Fletcher, C. A. J. and Stewart, G. D. J., “Bus Drag Reduction by the Trapped Vortex Concept for a Single Bus and Two Buses in Tandem,” Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 143168 (1986). doi: 10.1016/0167-6105(86) 90004-8
  2. [2] Barrett, D. S., Triantafyllou, M. S., Yue, D. K. P., Grosenbaugh, M. A. and Wolfgang, M. J., “Drag Reduction in Fish-Like Locomotion,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 392, No. 1, pp. 183212 (1999). doi: 10.1017/S0022112099005455
  3. [3] Elle, K., Design of an Aerodynamic Green Car, M. Sc Dissertation, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden (2007). doi: 10.1016/0167-6105(81)90086-6
  4. [4] Gerhardt, H. J., Kramer, C., Ammerschlager, Th. and Fuhramann, R., “Aerodynamic Optimization of a Group-5 Racing Car,” Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, Vol. 9, No. 12, pp. 155165 (1981).
  5. [5] Reneaux, J., “Overview on Drag Reduction Technologies for Civil Transport Aircraft,” The Fourth European Congress on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences and Engineering, (ECCOMAS), The University of Jyväskylä, Finland, July 2428, pp. 118 (2004).
  6. [6] Fred, B., “Reducing Aerodynamics Drag and Fuel Consumption,” Global Climate and Energy Project, Workshop on Advanced Transportation, Stanford University, U.S.A., October 1011 (2005).
  7. [7] Giancarlo, G., Motor Vehicle Dynamics: Modeling and Simulation, Vol. 43, World Scientific Publishing Co (1999). ISBN: 978-981-02-2911-5.
  8. [8] Onorato, M., Costelli, A. F., Garrone, A. and Viassone, L., “Experimental Analysis of Vehicle Wakes,” Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, Vol. 22, No. 23, pp. 317330 (1986).
  9. [9] Masaru, K., Nagayoshi, T. and Hamamoto, N., “Research on Aerodynamic Drag Reduction by Vortex Generators,” Mitsubishi Motors, Technical Review, No. 16 (2004).
  10. [10] Jasper, M., Minimise Vortex Drag of a Passenger Car, Technical Report, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden (2010).
  11. [11] McBeath, S., “Competition Car Downforce,” A Practical Hand Book, Haynes Publishing (1998).
  12. [12] McBeath, S., “Competition Car Aerodynamics,” A Practical Hand Book, Haynes Publishing (2006).
  13. [13] Scott-Pomerantz, C. D., The k Epsilon Model in the Theory of Turbulence, Ph.D Thesis, University of Pittsburgh (2004).
  14. [14] Murad, N. M., Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) of Vehicle Aerodynamics and Associated Acoustics, Ph.D Thesis, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia (2009).
  15. [15] Connor, C., Kharazi, A., Walter, J. and Martindale, B., Comparison of Wind Tunnel Configurations for Testing Closed-Wheel Race Cars: A CFD Study, SAE Technical Paper 2006-01-3620 (2006).
  16. [16] Reuss, R. L., Hoffmann, M. J. and Gregorek, G. M., “Effects of Surface Roughness and Vortex Generators on the NACA 4415 Air foil,” Technical Report, USDOE, Washington, DC, U.S.A. (1995).
  17. [17] Kieselbach, R. J. F., “Streamlining Vehicles 1945- 1965 A Historical Reviews,” Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, Vol. 22, No. 23, pp. 105113 (1986). doi: 10.1016/0167-6105 (86)90077-2
  18. [18] Richard, M. W., Steven and Bauer, X. S., Simple and Low-Cost Aerodynamic Drag Reduction Devices for Tractor-Trailer Trucks, SAE International 2003-01- 3377 (2003).