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Technical Paper

Presentation of Flow Field Investigation by PIV on a Full-Scale Car in the Pininfarina Wind Tunnel

2000-03-06
2000-01-0870
Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is a recent measuring technique, which has been used up to now mainly by University Laboratories in small-scale wind tunnels and by Aeronautical Research Centers in small and large facilities. Its use in full-scale automotive testing is not common. It is not so easy, often rather difficult, due to a number of problems, sometimes of practical nature, sometime caused by technology limitations. This paper reports the results of some tests, carried out by CIRA (Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali) in the Pininfarina wind tunnel on a full-scale car, in the frame of the European Thematic Network “PIVNET”. A description of the test set up, of the instrumentation used for these tests, as well as an analysis of the advantages provided by this technique and of its present limitations, are reported. During the tests, in order to outline the potential of this measuring technique, some specific areas of the car flow field, have been investigated.
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