Aerodynamic drag reduction on the application of suction flow control on vehicle model with varied upstream velocity

Abstract

The innovation in the automotive industry must prioritize the issue of energy security and the environment. One aspect of the innovations is regarding the development of more aerodynamic vehicle design. The study of vehicle aerodynamics has been considered as very important, due to its direct relation to the safety and efficiency factors of energy utilization. Applying active control on the onset region of flow separation is one example of the efforts. This study aims to analyse the effect of the application of active control by suction to the aerodynamic drag of the vehicle model through qualitatively observations of flow dynamics and quantitatively pressure fields. The test model is a modified Ahmed body with 35° slant angles and varied flow orientations. This study has been conducted in both numerical computation and experimental testing at a suction velocity of 1.0 m/s and upstream velocity of 11.1 m/s, 13.9 m/s, and 16.7 m/s, respectively. The results have found out that the attachment of active control is proven capable able to delay flow separations, to increase the pressure coefficients on the back wall, and to reduce aerodynamic drag by 10.8487% for computational methods and 10.9748% for experimental methods.