A Wind-Tunnel Study of the Effect of Turning Vanes on the Aerodynamic Drag of Tractor-Trailer Trucks

1978 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. H. Marks ◽  
F. T. Buckley
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Control Flow ◽  
Turning Angle ◽  
Edge Radius ◽  
Wind Tunnel Study

A Wind-Tunnel Study was made of the reduction of the aerodynamic drag of tractor-trailer trucks due to turning vanes used to control flow separation. A variety of vane settings and positions were investigated on the tractor and on the trailer. It was found that substantial drag reductions were obtained by employing vanes on the lower part of the front vertical edges of the tractor. Vanes mounted elsewhere had a smaller effect on the aerodynamic drag. Vane setting, turning angle and edge radius were found to be highly important.

Development of a MEMS-Based Active Control System for Flow Separation in the Transonic Regime

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Tung ◽  
Brant Maines ◽  
Fukang Jiang ◽  
Tom Tsao
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Control System ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Control Flow ◽  
Separation Control ◽  
Sensors And Actuators ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Flow Separation Control ◽  
Mach Numbers

Abstract A MEMS-based active system is currently under development for flow separation control in the transonic regime. The system consists of micro shear stress sensors for flow sensing and micro balloon actuators for separation control. We have successfully completed the first phase of the program in which the micro sensors and actuators were fabricated and tested in a wind tunnel facility. In the test, the sensors and actuators were flush mounted on a 3D model, which is representative of the upper surface of a wing with a deflected trailing edge flap. The model was installed in the wind tunnel and tested at a series of Mach numbers between 0.2 and 0.6. For all Mach numbers, the sensor output indicates that flow separates over the trailing edge when the micro balloons are in the ‘down’ position. When the micro balloons are inflated, the shear stress level on the trailing edge increases substantially, indicating an improvement of the separation characteristics. This result demonstrates the feasibility of using MEMS sensors and actuators to control flow separation. It is the first step toward the development of a revolutionary closed loop flow control system applicable to existing and future aircraft to enhance aerodynamic performance.

scholarly journals A wind-tunnel case study: Increasing road cycling velocity by adopting an aerodynamically improved sprint position

2019 ◽  
pp. 175433711986696
Author(s):  
Timothy Crouch ◽  
Paolo Menaspà ◽  
Nathan Barry ◽  
Nicholas Brown ◽  
Mark C Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Time Trial ◽  
Force Measurements ◽  
Sampling Errors ◽  
Repeated Testing ◽  
Road Cycling ◽  
Wind Tunnel Study

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the potential to reduce the aerodynamic drag by studying road sprint cyclists’ positions. A male and a female professional road cyclist participated in this wind-tunnel study. Aerodynamic drag measurements are presented for a total of five out-of-seat sprinting positions for each of the athletes under representative competition conditions. The largest reduction in aerodynamic drag measured for each athlete relative to their standard sprinting positions varied between 17% and 27%. The majority of this reduction in aerodynamic drag could be accounted for by changes in the athlete’s projected frontal area. The largest variation in repeat drag coefficient area measurements of out-of-seat sprint positions was 5%, significantly higher than the typical <0.5% observed for repeated testing of time-trial cycling positions. The majority of variation in repeated drag coefficient area measurements was attributed to reproducibility of position and sampling errors associated with time-averaged force measurements of large fluctuating forces.

A Wind-Tunnel Study of the Effect of Gap Flow and Gap Seals on the Aerodynamic Drag of Tractor-Trailer Trucks

1978 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. T. Buckley ◽  
C. H. Marks
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Motor Fuel ◽  
Center Line ◽  
Gap Flow ◽  
Yaw Angle ◽  
Wind Tunnel Study ◽  
Gap Width ◽  
Coefficient Reduction

The effect of gap width on the aerodynamic drag of a cab-over-engine tractor-trailer combination has been investigated for full-scale gap widths ranging from 0.61 m (24 in) to 1.83 m (72 in.) over a yaw angle range of 0 to 20 deg. The average drag on the vehicle was found to increase by 16 percent as the gap width increased from 0.61 m to 1.83 m. Drag reductions were found when a vertical seal was placed along the vehicle center line between the tractor and the trailer. Generally, the drag reduction increased as the percentage of gap width that was sealed increased, and as the yaw angle increased. The average drag coefficient reduction provided by a full gap seal increased from 0.02 to 0.05 as the gap width increased from 0.61 m to 1.4 m and then decreased slightly for gap widths up to 1.83 m. The effect of vehicle configuration on gap seal effectiveness was evaluated for a gap width of 1.3 m (51 in.) using models of six different tractors and two different trailers. The average drag coefficient reductions that were found ranged from 0.04 to 0.08 with 83 percent of the data being either 0.04 or 0.05. It is shown that the use of gap seals on the nearly half-million vehicles which comprise the nation’s long-haul trucking fleet can result in the conservation of about 1.4 × 109 liters (0.37 × 109 gal) of motor fuel each year.

On-Road Aerodynamic Drag Measurements Compared with Wind Tunnel Data

1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Le Good ◽  
J. P. Howell ◽  
M. A. Passmore ◽  
K. P. Garry
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Wind Tunnel Data
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