Numerical Investigation of Drag and Lift Forces on a Sedan Car using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Author(s):  
M.F. Mohamed ◽  
P.L. Madhavan ◽  
E. Manoj ◽  
K. Sivakumar

The purpose of this work is to cut back the drag, lift and aerodynamic in-stability of a sedan car at high speed levels. In early times, the cars accustomed have a flat faces, sharp edge, conjointly had higher mileage and potency. However later because of the emergence of fuel crisis, scientists improved the model of cars with regard to dynamics of the fluid around the body. Thus, it changes the structure of cars with respect to aeromechanics. Simulation of a vehicle had been done using computational fluid dynamics to obtain the coefficient of drag and coefficient of lift. Finally, these coefficients from computational fluid dynamics are compared wind tunnel simulation.

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent G. Chapin ◽  
Romaric Neyhousser ◽  
Stephane Jamme ◽  
Guillaume Dulliand ◽  
Patrick Chassaing

In this paper we propose a rational viscous Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methodology applied to sailing yacht rig aerodynamic design and analysis. After an outlook of present challenges in high speed sailing, we emphasized the necessity of innovation and CFD to conceive, validate and optimize new aero-hydrodynamic concepts. Then, we present our CFD methodology through CAD, mesh generation, numerical and physical modelling choices, and their validation on typical rig configurations through wind-tunnel test comparisons. The methodology defined, we illustrate the relevance and wide potential of advanced numerical tools to investigate sailing yacht rig design questions like the relation between sail camber, propulsive force and aerodynamic finesse, and like the mast-mainsail non linear interaction. Through these examples, it is shown how sailing yacht rig improvements may be drawn by using viscous CFD based on Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS). Then the extensive use of viscous CFD, rather than wind-tunnel tests on scale models, for the evaluation or ranking of improved designs with increased time savings. Viscous CFD methodology is used on a preliminary study of the complex and largely unknown Yves Parlier Hydraplaneur double rig. We show how it is possible to increase our understanding of his flow physics with strong sail interactions, and we hope this methodology will open new roads toward optimized design. Throughout the paper, the necessary comparison between CFD and wind-tunnel test will be presented to focus on limitations and drawbacks of viscous CFD tools, and to address future improvements.


Author(s):  
M. Sumida ◽  
S. Morita

This paper describes the results obtained from a wind tunnel test on the aerodynamic characteristics of road vehicles subjected to unsteady wind. In order to study the aerodynamic response of vehicles under atmospheric fluctuations, the velocity of the wind has been simulated in a pulsating state, where vehicles at a constant speed are driving in air with large wind oscillation. On the other hand, we consider three types of vehicles: two types of the Ahmed model, with slant angles of 0° and 30°, and the basic rectangular-prism model. The effect of wind oscillation on the drag and lift forces acting on the vehicle models under a pulsating wind condition has been extracted by comparing it to the forces under steady wind conditions. The oscillation of the wind exerts a significant effect on the fluid forces, and the drag and lift forces change with time in a peculiar way, depending on the body shape of the vehicle.


Author(s):  
Tian Li ◽  
Ming Li ◽  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Jiye Zhang

In wind tunnel experiments, the inter-car gaps are designed in such a way as to separate the force measurements for each car and prevent the interference between cars during tests. Moreover, the inter-car gap has a significant effect on the aerodynamic drag of a train. In order to guide the design of the inter-car gaps between cars in wind tunnel experiments, the impact of the inter-car gap length on the aerodynamic characteristics of a 1/8th scale high-speed train is investigated using computational fluid dynamics. The shear stress transport k-ω model is used to simulate the flow around a high-speed train. The aerodynamic characteristics of the train with 10 different inter-car gap lengths are numerically simulated and compared. The 10 different inter-car gap lengths are 5, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 80 mm. Results indicate that the aerodynamic drag coefficients obtained using computational fluid dynamics fit the experimental data well. Rapid pressure variations appear in the upper and lower parts of the inter-car gaps. With the increase of the inter-car gap length, the drag force coefficient of the head car gradually increases. The total drag force coefficients of the trains with the inter-car gap length less than 10 mm are practically equal to those of the trains without inter-car gaps. Therefore, it can be concluded from the present study that 10 mm is recommended as the inter-car gap length for the 1/8th scale high-speed train models in wind tunnel experiments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1642
Author(s):  
Yuxiang Zhang ◽  
Philip Cardiff ◽  
Jennifer Keenahan

Engineers, architects, planners and designers must carefully consider the effects of wind in their work. Due to their slender and flexible nature, long-span bridges can often experience vibrations due to the wind, and so the careful analysis of wind effects is paramount. Traditionally, wind tunnel tests have been the preferred method of conducting bridge wind analysis. In recent times, owing to improved computational power, computational fluid dynamics simulations are coming to the fore as viable means of analysing wind effects on bridges. The focus of this paper is on long-span cable-supported bridges. Wind issues in long-span cable-supported bridges can include flutter, vortex-induced vibrations and rain–wind-induced vibrations. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of research on the use of wind tunnel tests and computational fluid dynamics modelling of these wind issues on long-span bridges.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. van Druenen ◽  
B. Blocken

AbstractSome teams aiming for victory in a mountain stage in cycling take control in the uphill sections of the stage. While drafting, the team imposes a high speed at the front of the peloton defending their team leader from opponent’s attacks. Drafting is a well-known strategy on flat or descending sections and has been studied before in this context. However, there are no systematic and extensive studies in the scientific literature on the aerodynamic effect of uphill drafting. Some studies even suggested that for gradients above 7.2% the speeds drop to 17 km/h and the air resistance can be neglected. In this paper, uphill drafting is analyzed and quantified by means of drag reductions and power reductions obtained by computational fluid dynamics simulations validated with wind tunnel measurements. It is shown that even for gradients above 7.2%, drafting can yield substantial benefits. Drafting allows cyclists to save over 7% of power on a slope of 7.5% at a speed of 6 m/s. At a speed of 8 m/s, this reduction can exceed 16%. Sensitivity analyses indicate that significant power savings can be achieved, also with varying bicycle, cyclist, road and environmental characteristics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 234 ◽  
pp. 109160
Author(s):  
Islam Almallah ◽  
Jason Ali-Lavroff ◽  
Damien S. Holloway ◽  
Michael R. Davis

2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Zhou ◽  
Lingjie Zhang ◽  
Weidong Shi ◽  
Ramesh Agarwal ◽  
Wei Li

A coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD)/discrete element method (DEM) is used to simulate the gas–solid two-phase flow in a laboratory-scale spouted fluidized bed. Transient experimental results in the spouted fluidized bed are obtained in a special test rig using the high-speed imaging technique. The computational domain of the quasi-three-dimensional (3D) spouted fluidized bed is simulated using the commercial CFD flow solver ANSYS-fluent. Hydrodynamic flow field is computed by solving the incompressible continuity and Navier–Stokes equations, while the motion of the solid particles is modeled by the Newtonian equations of motion. Thus, an Eulerian–Lagrangian approach is used to couple the hydrodynamics with the particle dynamics. The bed height, bubble shape, and static pressure are compared between the simulation and the experiment. At the initial stage of fluidization, the simulation results are in a very good agreement with the experimental results; the bed height and the bubble shape are almost identical. However, the bubble diameter and the height of the bed are slightly smaller than in the experimental measurements near the stage of bubble breakup. The simulation results with their experimental validation demonstrate that the CFD/DEM coupled method can be successfully used to simulate the transient gas–solid flow behavior in a fluidized bed which is not possible to simulate accurately using the granular approach of purely Euler simulation. This work should help in gaining deeper insight into the spouted fluidized bed behavior to determine best practices for further modeling and design of the industrial scale fluidized beds.


2016 ◽  
Vol 820 ◽  
pp. 359-364
Author(s):  
Marek Magát ◽  
Ivana Olekšáková ◽  
Juraj Žilinský

In this article are described the results from testing profile of atmospheric boundary layer in BLWT (Boundary layer wind tunnel) in Florence (Prato), Italy with emphasis on comparison of the results with simulations in CFD (Computational fluid dynamics) software OpenFoam. The values are compared with calculated values from EuroCode.


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