Technical Paper
Full-Scale, Ort-Road Study of the Effect of Automobile Shape on its Aerodynamic Characteristics, and Comparison with Small-Scale Wind Tunnel Results
1985-02-01
850287
The design of passenger vehicles for improved aerodynamic characteristics will result in reduced fuel consumption and better road handling during high-speed driving. In this research, techniques were developed to measure the aerodynamic drag and lift forces acting on a full-scale vehicle under road conditions and then were compared with results obtained on reduced-scale models in a wind tunnel. A number of configurations which characterize common vehicle forms were investigated for their effect on aerodynamic efficiency and fuel consumption, Experimental speeds were between 70 and 110 km/h, these being representative of highway driving conditions. A typical passenger vehicle of the three-box type was selected for the experiments, and its exterior form was altered by means of attaching various configurations to its front, rear, and underbody portions.
