Title: On the transient aerodynamic forces induced on heavy and light vehicles in overtaking processes

Authors: C. Noger, E. Van Grevenynghe

Addresses: Institut Aerotechnique, CNAM, 15 rue Marat, F-78210, Saint-Cyr l'Ecole, France. ' GIE S2A, 2 avenue Volta, F-78180 Montigny le Bretonneux, France

Abstract: The wind sensitive vehicle design is an important issue in their development and is essentially conditioned by fuel economy and more and more by changes in environmental conditions that may be sudden (crosswind, overtaking/crossing manoeuvres). These interactions are complicated to understand because they interact on the aerodynamics, mass, suspensions, steering geometry as well as human correction. In particular, when two vehicles overtake, they mutually influence the flow-field around each other and thereby the forces and moments acting on them are affected. This is especially true when heavy and light vehicles are driven at proximity. The present study aims to clarify and to investigate experimentally the transient aerodynamic force responses in terms of quasi-steady aerodynamic forces and moments acting on heavy and light vehicles in overtaking manoeuvres and the way to reproduce these interactions in full scale automotive wind tunnels.

Keywords: overtaking sensitivity; vehicle crosswind stability; heavy trucks; unsteady aerodynamics; light cars; automotive wind tunnels; automotive aerodynamics; vehicle overtaking; heavy vehicles; light vehicles; transient forces; aerodynamic forces.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAD.2011.038851

International Journal of Aerodynamics, 2011 Vol.1 No.3/4, pp.373 - 383

Published online: 28 Feb 2015 *

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