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Journal Article

Unsteady Vehicle Aerodynamics during a Dynamic Steering Action: 2nd Report, Numerical Analysis

2012-04-16
2012-01-0448
Unsteady aerodynamic forces acting on vehicles during a dynamic steering action were investigated by numerical simulation, with a special focus on the vehicles' yaw and lateral motions. Two sedan-type vehicles with slightly different geometries at the front pillar, side skirt, under cover, and around the front wheel were adopted for comparison. In the first report, surface pressure on the body and total pressure behind the front wheel were measured in an on-road experiment. Then the relationships between the vehicles' lateral dynamic motion and unsteady aerodynamic characteristics during cornering motions were discussed. In this second report, the vehicles' meandering motions observed in on-road measurements were modeled numerically, and sinusoidal motions of lateral, yaw, and slip angles were imposed. The responding yaw moment was phase averaged, and its phase shift against the imposed slip angle was measured to assess the aerodynamic damping.
Technical Paper

A Study of Drivers' Fatigue Mechanisms During Long Hour Driving

2001-03-05
2001-01-0381
Drivers' fatigue during long hour driving comes from various causes. The purpose of this study is to clarify the mechanisms of drivers' fatigue in relation to seat performance. The drivers' posture was examined on the assumption that an optimal seating posture against fatigue should exist. As a first step, laboratory test was conducted to grasp fatigue analysis viewpoints. Then, as a next step, road test with seat pressure distribution (S.P.D.) and Electromyogram (EMG) was implemented to clarify fatigue process. Results show that seat support condition is found to be one of the factors behind uncomfortable postures and physical burdens, which leads to subjectively felt fatigues.
Technical Paper

Unsteady Vehicle Aerodynamics during a Dynamic Steering Action: 1st Report, On-Road Analysis

2012-04-16
2012-01-0446
Relationships between vehicle's high speed stability during a steering action and following aerodynamic coefficients have already been reported in the past: coefficients for time-averaged aerodynamic lift, yawing moment, side force and rolling moment. In terms of the relationships, however, we have occasionally experienced different high speed stability during steering input even with identical suspension property and almost the same aerodynamic coefficients. A vehicle during high speed cornering shows complex behavior due to unsteady air flow around the vehicle and unintentional steering input from a driver. So it is supposed that the behavior is too complex to be fully described only with those aerodynamic coefficients. Through on-road test [1] and CFD analysis [2,3,4], we have studied unsteady aerodynamic characteristics around a vehicle for pitching motion during straight-line high speed driving.
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