scholarly journals Drag reduction mechanisms on a generic square-back vehicle using an optimised yaw-insensitive base cavity

2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Urquhart ◽  
Max Varney ◽  
Simone Sebben ◽  
Martin Passmore
Keyword(s):  
Bluff Body ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Passenger Vehicles ◽  
Reduction Mechanisms ◽  
Image Velocimetry ◽  
Base Cavity ◽  
Tapered Cavity

AbstractRegulations on global greenhouse gas emission are driving the development of more energy-efficient passenger vehicles. One of the key factors influencing energy consumption is the aerodynamic drag where a large portion of the drag is associated with the base wake. Environmental conditions such as wind can increase the drag associated with the separated base flow. This paper investigates an optimised yaw-insensitive base cavity on a square-back vehicle in steady crosswind. The test object is a simplified model scale bluff body, the Windsor geometry, with wheels. The model is tested experimentally with a straight cavity and a tapered cavity. The taper angles have been optimised numerically to improve the robustness to side wind in relation to drag. Base pressures and tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry of the full wake were measured in the wind tunnel. The results indicate that a cavity decreases the crossflow within the wake, increasing base pressure, therefore lowering drag. The additional optimised cavity tapering further reduces crossflow and results in a smaller wake with less losses. The overall wake unsteadiness is reduced by the cavity by minimising mixing in the shear layers as well as dampening wake motion. However, the coherent wake motions, indicative of a balanced wake, are increased by the investigated cavities. Graphical abstract

scholarly journals Vortex Phase-Jitter in Acoustically Excited Bluff Body Flames

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santosh J. Shanbhogue ◽  
Michael Seelhorst ◽  
Tim Lieuwen
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Axial Direction ◽  
Harmonic Excitation ◽  
Acoustic Excitation ◽  
Phase Jitter ◽  
Image Velocimetry ◽  
Flow Field Characteristics ◽  
Spatially Periodic ◽  
Phase Phase

This paper describes an experimental study of the effect of acoustic excitation on bluff body stabilized flames, specifically on the flow field characteristics. The Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability of the shear layer is excited due to the incident acoustics. In turn, the KH instability imposes a convecting, harmonic excitation on the flame, which leads to spatially periodic flame wrinkling and heat-release oscillations. Understanding the factors influencing these heat release oscillations requires an understanding of the generation, convection, and dissipation of these vortical disturbances. Phase locked particle image velocimetry was carried out over a range of conditions to characterize the vortical dynamics. It was found that the vortex core location exhibits “phase jitter”, manifested as cycle-to-cycle variation in flame and vorticity field at the same excitation phase. Phase jitter is shown to be a function of separation point dynamics, downstream convection time, and amplitude of acoustic excitation. It leads to fairly significant differences between instantaneous and ensemble averaged flow fields and, in particular, the decay rate of the vorticity in the axial direction.

scholarly journals Bionic shape design of electric locomotive and aerodynamic drag reduction

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (48) ◽  
pp. 99-109
Author(s):  
Zhenfeng WU ◽  
Yanzhong HUO ◽  
Wangcai DING ◽  
Zihao XIE
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Drag Reduction ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Geometric Characteristic ◽  
Shape Design ◽  
Shape Optimisation ◽  
Electric Locomotive ◽  
Geometric Models ◽  
Characteristic Lines

Bionics has been widely used in many fields. Previous studies on the application of bionics in locomotives and vehicles mainly focused on shape optimisation of high-speed trains, but the research on bionic shape design in the electric locomotive field is rare. This study investigated a design method for streamlined electric locomotives according to the principles of bionics. The crocodiles were chosen as the bionic object because of their powerful and streamlined head shape. Firstly, geometric characteristic lines were extracted from the head of a crocodile by analysing the head features. Secondly, according to the actual size requirements of the electric locomotive head, a free-hand sketch of the bionic electric locomotive head was completed by adjusting the position and scale of the geometric characteristic lines. Finally, the non-uniform rational B-splines method was used to establish a 3D digital model of the crocodile bionic electric locomotive, and the main and auxiliary control lines were created. To verify the drag reduction effect of the crocodile bionic electric locomotive, numerical simulations of aerodynamic drag were performed for the crocodile bionic and bluff body electric locomotives at different speeds in open air by using the CFD software, ANSYS FLUENT16.0. The geometric models of crocodile bionic and bluff body electric locomotives were both marshalled with three cars, namely, locomotive + middle car + locomotive, and the size of the two geometric models was uniform. Dimensions and grids of the flow field were defined. And then, according to the principle of motion relativity, boundary conditions of flow field were defined. The results indicated that the crocodile bionic electric locomotive demonstrated a good aerodynamic performance. At the six sampling speeds in the range of 40–240 km/h, the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the crocodile bionic electric locomotive decreased by 7.7% on the average compared with that of the bluff body electric locomotive.

scholarly journals Design of electromechanical height adjustable suspension

2017 ◽  
Vol 232 (9) ◽  
pp. 1253-1269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Amati ◽  
Andrea Tonoli ◽  
Luca Castellazzi ◽  
Sanjarbek Ruzimov
Keyword(s):  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
General Context ◽  
Passenger Vehicles ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Vehicle Motion ◽  
Low Costs ◽  
Fuel Consumption And Emissions

In the general context of vehicles’ fuel consumption and emissions reduction, the minimization of the aerodynamic drag can offer not negligible benefits regarding the environmental issues. The adjustment of the vehicle height is one of the possible ways to provide a reduction of the resistances to vehicle motion, in addition to consequent aspects regarding the increased versatility of the vehicle. The aim of this paper is to present in a systematic way the state of the art of height adjustment systems for passenger vehicles, summarizing the main modes of operations, working principles, and architectures. Particular attention is then given to electromechanical systems, which represent the next trends for future vehicles due to their high reliability and relatively low costs. A design methodology for electromechanical height adjustment systems with the purpose of optimizing their performance is presented. Such procedure is able to reach the most efficient working point even in presence of constraints of different nature. Prototypes have been designed, produced and tested to demonstrate the potentialities of electromechanical height adjustment systems. Furthermore, potential benefits and drawbacks of using such systems are highlighted.

A Flow Model for the Effect of a Slanted Base on Drag

1982 ◽  
Vol 104 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-58
Author(s):  
R. Sedney
Keyword(s):  
Bluff Body ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Drastic Change ◽  
The Other ◽  
Mixing Zone ◽  
Slant Angle ◽  
Side Edge ◽  
Swirl Angle ◽  
Back Mixing

Experiments by Morel have shown that slanting the base of a bluff body causes large variations in the drag, as the slant angle changes. For a particular, critical slant angle the drag changes discontinuously. This phenomenon was correlated with a drastic change in the type of base flow. A mechanism to explain this change, and therefore, the discontinuity in drag, is proposed. The basis of the mechanism is breakdown of the side edge vortices. An estimate of the swirl angle in these vortices is obtained using a swept-back mixing zone solution. This swirl angle and the other elements of the theory provide an estimate for the critical slant angle that is entirely consistent with the observed value.

Some features of steady separated flow from low speed to hypersonic

2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (1128) ◽  
pp. 109-113
Author(s):  
S. L. Gai
Keyword(s):  
Shear Layer ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Separated Flow ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
The Body ◽  
Wake Flow ◽  
Recirculating Flow ◽  
Flow Features ◽  
Hypersonic Speeds ◽  
Low Speeds

Steady non-vortex shedding base flow behind a bluff body is considered. Such a flow is characterised by the flow separation at the trailing edge of the body with an emerging shear layer which reattaches on the axis with strong recompression and recirculating flow bounded by the base, the shear layer, and the axis. Steady wake flows behind a bluff body at low speeds have been studied for more than a century (for example, Kirchhoff; Riabouchinsky). Recently, research on steady bluff body wake flow at low speeds has been reviewed and reinterpreted by Roshko. Roshko has also commented on some basic aspects of steady supersonic base flow following on from Chapman and Korst analyses. In the present paper, we examine the steady base flow features both at low speeds and supersonic speeds in the light of Roshko’s model and expand on some further aspects of base flows at supersonic and hypersonic speeds, not covered by Roshko.

Measurements and simulations of time-dependent flow fields within an electrokinetic micromixer

2011 ◽  
Vol 676 ◽  
pp. 265-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOMINIK P. J. BARZ ◽  
HAMID FARANGIS ZADEH ◽  
PETER EHRHARD
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Flow Topology ◽  
Electrical Field ◽  
Image Velocimetry ◽  
Microparticle Image Velocimetry ◽  
Meander Bends ◽  
Dependent Flow ◽  
Meander Channel

We investigate the flow field in an electrokinetic micromixer. The concept of the micromixer is based on the combination of an alternating electrical field applied to a pressure-driven base flow in a meander–channel geometry. The presence of the electrical field leads to an additional electro-osmotic velocity contribution, which results in a complex flow field within the meander bends. The velocity fields within the meander are measured by means of a microparticle-image velocimetry method. Furthermore, we introduce a mathematical model, describing the electrical and fluid-mechanical phenomena present within the device, and perform simulations comparable to the experiments. The comparison of simulations and experiments reveals good agreement, with minor discrepancies in flow topology, obviously caused by small but crucial differences between experimental and numerical geometries. In detail, simulations are performed for sharp corners of the bends, while in the experiments these corners are rounded due to the microfabrication process.

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