The Passenger Vehicle Wake Under the Influence of Upstream Turbulence

Gioacchino Vino; Simon Watkins; Peter Mousley

doi:10.4271/2003-01-0650

In this study, flow measurements were taken in the wake of a 3/10 scale model of a passenger vehicle using a high frequency, four-hole pressure probe (Dynamic Cobra Probe). The purposes of this study were to further the understanding of the wake development of a passenger vehicle in isolation (in order to provide representative input boundary conditions for CFD and EFD simulations of vehicles traveling in traffic) and to also investigate the wake properties under the influence of upstream turbulence (i.e. with a turbulence generator upstream). The results from several downstream planes are presented and include the time-averaged contour plots of turbulence intensity, velocity deficit and vorticity and cross-flow velocity fields.

The presence of increased levels of upstream turbulence mostly affected the upper region of the vehicle wake. In this region, the A-pillar vortex was reduced in size and strength, while the C-pillar vortex had increased in both respects. However, it was observed that flow characteristics through the underbody were not significantly affected, although the influence of a moving ground plane may alter these results.

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The Passenger Vehicle Wake Under the Influence of Upstream Turbulence 2003-01-0650

SAE MOBILUS