Transient aerodynamics simulations of a road vehicle in the crosswind condition coupled with the vehicle’s motion

Abstract

The influence of transient aerodynamics on a vehicle in a crosswind and the effect on the vehicle’s motion are investigated by employing fully coupled simulations. The fully coupled method makes the simulation data on the fluid dynamics and on the vehicle dynamics exchange in time. LES are used to investigate the movement of the transient turbulence, and wind tunnel experiments are carried out to validate the numerical method. The vehicle is simplified as a three-degree-of-freedom system which moves in only the horizontal direction. The driver’s reaction is considered when the motion of the vehicle is simulated. The results of fully coupled simulations show that the transient aerodynamic loads have a marked influence on the motion of the vehicle. The transitional method of one-way coupled simulations is also employed to obtain data. The simulation results for the two methods are compared with each other. It is found that there is large difference between the results of the two methods. The maximum side force in fully coupled simulations is about 1.22 times the value obtained by the transitional method, and there is a 0.2 m discrepancy between the peak value of the lateral displacement in fully coupled simulations and the peak value in the transitional method. The results show that the transient aerodynamic loads induced by the unsteady motion of the vehicle have a larger effect on the vehicle’s motion than do the aerodynamic loads from the transitional method. Furthermore, the results also reflect the significance of estimating the transient aerodynamic loads in simulations of the vehicle’s motion.