Experimental analysis of aerodynamic performance in simplified ground vehicle prototypes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15282/ijame.23.2.2026.2.1021Keywords:
Aerodynamic performance, Drag coefficient, Ground vehicle prototypes, Wind tunnel testingAbstract
Aerodynamic drag reduction and flow control remain major challenges in improving vehicle fuel efficiency, high-speed stability, and overall aerodynamic performance of ground vehicles. Flow separation and wake formation behind vehicle bodies significantly influence drag generation, especially for simplified vehicle geometries. Therefore, this study experimentally investigates the aerodynamic performance of three simplified ground vehicle models tested in a subsonic open-circuit wind tunnel. A Suzuki Vitara (Car 1) that is 6.67% smaller and a Lamborghini Aventador (Car 2) that is 5% smaller are two of the models. The third model (Car 3) has a new aerodynamic design that is based on the shape of a fastback. The Reynolds numbers (Re) of the cars that were tested were between 1.5×10⁵ and 6.0×10⁵, which is the same as wind speeds of 10 to 30 m/s. We employed a calibrated hot-wire anemometer and digital manometer to measure the local velocity, the distribution of the surface pressure coefficient, and the aerodynamic forces. Car 3 always had the lowest drag coefficient, with a minimum C_D of 0.242, which is 29% lower than Car 1 and 2% lower than Car 2. Adding a rear wing to Car 3 cut lift by up to 25% at high Re, but only added a modest amount of drag (ΔC_D = + 0.006). Based on numerous trials and device calibration, the maximum measurement errors for drag were ± 1.4 % and for lift were ± 1.3 %. The findings elucidate that the shape of the back and the use of aerodynamic devices can significantly impact the wake development, drag reduction, and stability enhancement.
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