Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Performance
Top Speed Fuel Consumption Maneuverability Vehicle Elasticity Emissions
Stability
Cross Wind Sensitivity Cornering Behavior Steering Corrections (Frequency and Magnitude)
Comfort
Noise (Aerodynamic Noise) Cooling; Heating; Ventilation Absence of Buffeting (Convertibles)
Cooling
Engine Cooling Brakes Cooling Transmission Cooling Condenser
Visibility
Dirt and water accumulation Dirt removal systems (Wipers; Water Jets; Mud guards)
Flow Visualization
Flow Visualization
Streamlines
Spacing between streamlines indicates local velocity. Closer streamlines indicate high velocity; and hence low pressure. Streamlines closely spaced on top, and sparse at the bottom lead to a positive lift. Flow orientation relative to vehicle direction is angle of attack. High angle of attack leads to high drag.
High vehicle speeds (>100 kmph) lead to uncontrollable lift and pitching moments, and hence high drag. Flow Spoilers and negative wings can reduce lift albeit at increased drag. Cross wind sensitivity : Directional stability of a vehicle in side winds (function of normalized yaw moment coefficient). Side wind sensitivity reduced by relocating the C.G of the vehicle towards its front.
Cooling
Engine Cooling
Adequate air flow for engine cooling. Increasing engine power higher air flow rates. Lowered front ends (higher stability) Reduced air flow area. Compact vehicle designs : Reduced space for radiators. Safety aspects : Hard edge at front end; wide bumpers hindered air flow.
Development of Vehicle Aerodynamics Borrowed ideas from ship design, and aircraft designs. Vehicle aerodynamics differs from aircraft design in terms of unsuitability of lift force. Working fluid for vehicles is air, while that for ships is water. Boundary layer separations, and multiple low pressure wakes exist for vehicles. B.L is mostly attached for aircrafts.
Concepts borrowed from ship, and aircraft aerodynamics failed. Initial vehicles were very slow, and not streamlined. Lack of accurate data for drag, lift and other force and performance indicators hampered aerodynamic design.
Borrowed Shapes