Consider a Non-Spherical Elephant: Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of Heat Transfer Coefficients and Drag Verified Using Wind Tunnel Experiments

2013 ◽  
Vol 319 (6) ◽  
pp. 319-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter N. Dudley ◽  
Riccardo Bonazza ◽  
Warren P. Porter
Author(s):  
Marko Tirovic ◽  
Kevin Stevens

Following from the analytical modelling presented in Part 1, this paper details a comprehensive computational fluid dynamics modelling of the three-dimensional flow field around, and heat dissipation from, a stationary brake disc. Four commonly used turbulence models were compared and the shear stress turbulence model was found to be most suitable for these studies. Inferior cooling of the anti-coning disc type is well known but the core cause in static conditions was only now established. The air flow exiting the lower vane channels at the inner rotor diameter changes direction and flows axially over the hat region. This axial flow acts as a blocker to the higher vane inlets, drastically reducing convective cooling from the upper half of the disc. The complexity of disc stationary cooling is further caused by the change of flow patterns during disc cooling. The above axial flow effects slowly vanish as the disc temperatures reduce. Consequently, convective heat transfer coefficients are affected by both, the change in the flow pattern and decrease in air velocities due to reduced air buoyancy as the disc cools down. As in Part 1, the special thermal rig was used to validate the computational fluid dynamics results quantitatively and qualitatively. The former used numerous thermocouples positioned strategically around the brake disc, with the latter introducing the concept of laser generated light plane combined with a smoke generator to enable flow visualisation. Predicted average heat transfer coefficients using computational fluid dynamics correlate well with the experimental values, and even two-dimensional analytical values (as presented in Part 1) reasonably closely follow the trends. The results present an important step in establishing cooling characteristics related to the electric parking brake application in commercial vehicles, with future publications detailing heat transfer from the entire brake assembly.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1262-1272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouying Li ◽  
Yangchen Deng ◽  
Wei Zhong ◽  
Zhengqing Chen

To investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of stay cables attached with helical wires, a series of wind tunnel tests and computational fluid dynamics simulations were both carried out on the smooth and helical-wire cable models. The diameters of helical wires include 2, 3, and 4 mm, and the distances between adjacent helical wires include 200, 300, and 600 mm. Pressure taps were uniformly arranged on seven cross sections of the cable models. First, wind tunnel tests including 50 test cases were conducted to measure the wind forces and wind pressures on the cables using the forced vibration system in HD-2 wind tunnel. The effects of the helical wires on the mean and fluctuating aerodynamic forces and the correlation coefficients along the cable axis were investigated in detail based on the experimental data. Second, large Eddy simulation module incorporated in software FLUENT® was used to simulate the aerodynamic forces on the smooth and helical-wire cables. The parameters of the cable and the helical wire are similar to those used in the wind tunnel tests. The results show that helical wires can attenuate vortex shedding and reduce the wind pressure correlation along the cable axis. Within the Reynolds number range from 0.4 × 105 to 1.6 × 105, the mean drag force of the helical-wire cable is lower than the value of the smooth cable, and the correlation coefficient decreases with the increase in wind velocity. The results obtained from wind tunnel tests and computational fluid dynamics simulations agree well with each other. Furthermore, the wind velocity contour around the helical-wire cables obtained from computational fluid dynamics simulations visually indicates that the approaching flow is forced to separate at the surface of the helical wire in advance, which makes the vortex shedding disorder along the cable axis.


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

AbstractAerodynamic drag is the main resistive force in cycling at high speeds and on flat terrain. In wind tunnel tests or computational fluid dynamics simulations, the aerodynamic drag of cycling wheels is often investigated isolated from the rest of the bicycle, and sometimes in static rather than rotating conditions. It is not yet clear how these testing and simulating conditions influence the wheel aerodynamic performance and how the inclusion of wheel rotation influences the overall measured or computed cyclist drag. This study presents computational fluid dynamics simulations, validated with wind tunnel tests, that indicate that an isolated static spoked front wheel has a 2.2% larger drag area than the same wheel when rotating, and that a non-isolated static spoked front wheel has a 7.1% larger drag area than its rotating counterpart. However, rotating wheels are also subjected to the rotational moment, which increases the total power required to rotate and translate the wheel compared to static conditions where only translation is considered. The interaction with the bicycle frame and forks lowers the drag area of the front wheel by 8.8% for static and by 12.9% for the rotating condition, compared to the drag area of the isolated wheels. A different flow behavior is also found for static versus rotating wheels: large low-pressure regions develop from the hub for rotating wheels, together with a lower streamwise velocity region inside the circumference of the wheel compared to static wheels. The results are intended to help in the selection of testing/simulating methodologies for cycling spoked wheels.


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