Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Third year
(Mechanical)
Aerodynamics in Cars
Aerodynamics is itself a part of fluid dynamics,
which is the study of the properties of a solid object
displace a fluid such as air.
For the performance of a typical passenger car,
aerodynamics is an important consideration in the
achievement of maximum fuel economy, as well as in
creating auto body styling that is visually appealing.
Terms to Know-
Aerodynamics
Fluid
Mass
Aerodynamics
Drag
Lift
Rear Suction
Down Force
Frontal Area
Fluid
Air-
Is a type of fluid such as water that can be directed or
displaced;
Has mass and is measured in terms of pressure;
Applies direct and frictional forces to objects in
motion;
Principles
One should be aware of four aerodynamic
principles-
Drag
Lift/Down Force
Drag Coefficient
Frontal Area
Drag
Drag is a combination of two forces that
will work against the acceleration of your
car.
Frontal Pressure occurs when tiny molecules of
air hit the front of your car and is forced away to
make room for other molecules to hit it.
Rear Suction occurs when an empty pocket of air
is created in the back of your car resulting in a
vacuum cleaner effect that tries to pull your car
backward.
Air Flow
Rear Suction
Lift and Down Force
Lift is similar to rear suction in that a thin
empty pocket occurs as air passes over a
flat surface causing the car to lift.
Down Force is due to high pressure in
curved surfaces that causes the car to be
pushed down.
Lift and Down Force
Drag Coefficient
Drag Coefficient is a way of expressing
how slippery a car is.
The drag coefficient (CD) is a measure of
the vehicle's aerodynamic efficiency.
Frontal Area
Frontal Area is the total of all surfaces in the front of
your vehicle which cause drag.
Area = Length x Width
Aerodynamic drag
Aerodynamic drag = (ρ/2) CD * A * V2, where
ρ is air density, A is the projected frontal
area of the body, and V is velocity.
Even though aerodynamic drag is critically
dependent on the velocity, it is only the
product CD times A that the designer can
control.
Past of Aerodynamics
A = frontal
area, b = wheelbase,
CD = drag coefficient
Partition of Drag in Modern
Cars
Rear View Mirrors 3 - 6%
Engine Cooling 5 - 9%
Underbody 14 - 20%
Wheels, Rims and Wheel Housings 30 – 35%
Vehicle Body(Shape and Sealing) 39 - 42%
Vehicle Body
Ergonomics is more and more important in new
cars and for instance the height of new models is
growing. Thus the accessibility is improved.
Wheels, Rims and Wheel Housings
Underbody
2
1
Engine Cooling