Numerical investigation on aerodynamic performance and stability of a sedan under wind–bridge–tunnel road condition

Given the complexity of the wind environment around bridge–tunnel sections in canyons, flow fields are complex and changeable, resulting in transient aerodynamic loads on vehicles. Consequently, vehicles tend to sideslip or drift off lanes, affecting handling stability. An aerodynamic model coupled...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qianwen Zhang, Chuqi Su, Yiping Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-10-01
Series:Alexandria Engineering Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S111001682030329X
Description
Summary:Given the complexity of the wind environment around bridge–tunnel sections in canyons, flow fields are complex and changeable, resulting in transient aerodynamic loads on vehicles. Consequently, vehicles tend to sideslip or drift off lanes, affecting handling stability. An aerodynamic model coupled with a two-degrees-of-freedom dynamic model is proposed to reveal the aerodynamic performance and dynamic response under canyon–bridge–tunnel condition. The terrain and geomorphology are constructed by extracting the contour map from the geographic information system to obtain a realistic scenario. A numerical simulation platform is established by using commercial solver Ansys Fluent and Matlab. The dynamic grid technology is used to simulate the process of a sedan passing through different positions. The changes in the aerodynamic performance of the sedan as it exits the tunnel and passes through the bridge tower area are revealed. Results show that topography has an important influence on aerodynamic characteristics, affecting trajectory and posture of vehicles.
ISSN:1110-0168