Numerical simulation of particle dispersion distribution in the wake of an isolated rotating wheel

Abstract

Vehicle dust poses an increasingly severe threat to human health and driving safety. To delve into the impact mechanisms of various factors on the distribution of dust particles around vehicle wheels, the computational fluid dynamics method was employed for numerical simulation. Furthermore, the proper orthogonal decomposition method was used to decompose the flow field, extract the principal modes, and reveal the interaction mechanisms between flow field structure changes and the movement of dust particles. The results indicate that particle diameter variation did not significantly alter the overall spatial distribution state or residence time of particles; an increase in particle diameter reduced the number of particles in each cross-section, with the POD-decomposed flow field showing consistent results, and the power spectral density of the three being around 32.73. An increase in vehicle speed led to a more symmetrical distribution of particles and reduced their residence time. Under crosswind conditions, increased crosswind angle alters particle distribution by reducing particle count and elevating diffusion height. At a crosswind angle of 10°, the power spectral density reaches 91.89, indicating enhanced susceptibility of particles to low-frequency disturbances.