Development of a novel characterisation methodology for the aerodynamic coefficients of a tractor–trailer unit based on relative flow angles and vehicle dimensions.

Malviya, Vihar; Asim, Taimoor; Sendanayake, Isuru; Mishra, Rakesh

Abstract

Tractor–trailer units are integral part of the heavy commercial vehicle industry, used globally for goods transportation. Manufacturers have been trying to design aerodynamically efficient tractor–trailer units to reduce ever increasing fuel costs. In order to investigate the aerodynamic response of tractor–trailer units, the aerodynamic forces and moments have to be determined accurately, especially under crosswind conditions. In the present study, a computational fluid dynamics-based solver has been employed to simulate the flow field around a tractor–trailer with a view to quantify the effects of side wind and size variations on aerodynamic force moment system acting on tractor–trailer combination. It has been shown that the aerodynamic forces are significantly influenced by both the geometrical and flow characteristics. The drag, lift and side forces acting on a tractor–trailer unit are highest at relative flow angles of 15°, 30° and 90°, respectively. Aerodynamic forces and coefficients have been enumerated for these geometrical and flow conditions, and have been used to develop novel semi-empirical correlations for the aerodynamic coefficients for the tractor–trailer unit. These correlations have been shown to predict the aerodynamic coefficients for various vehicle dimensions under a range of flow conditions with reasonable accuracy.

Citation

MALVIYA, V., ASIM, T., SENDANAYAKE, I. and MISHRA, R. 2018. Development of a novel characterisation methodology for the aerodynamic coefficients of a tractor–trailer unit based on relative flow angles and vehicle dimensions. Arabian journal for science and technology [online], 43(9), pages 4957-4978. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-018-3185-3

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 20, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Apr 13, 2018
• Publication Date: Sep 30, 2018
• Deposit Date: Mar 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 10, 2020
• Journal: Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering
• Electronic ISSN: 2191-4281
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 4957-4975
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-018-3185-3
• Keywords: Heavy commercial vehicle (HCV); Computational fluid dynamics (CFD); Computer-aided design (CAD); Computer-aided engineering (CAE); Aerodynamic coefficients
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/872303