Computational investigation and design optimization of vortex generator for a sport utility vehicle using CFD

Abstract

Automotive Aerodynamics may be a vital physics within the design of a passenger cars and sports utility vehicles. The main objective of the automotive aerodynamics is to normalize the drag force, reduce the noise and preventing the lift forces to avoid aerodynamics instability at high speeds. The main sources of drag force is caused by viscous, pressure effects are to be minimized by the shape of the vehicle body with suitable aerodynamics considerations. The present computational analysis focuses on the drag reduction technique used for a passenger car using vortex generators. Different shapes of vortex generators are considered and investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The flow characteristics round the car body with and without vortex generators are predicted and compared. The present analysis also investigates the combined effect of spoiler with vortex generators and the change in aerodynamics characteristics of the car body is presented. In the recent trends of automotive aerodynamics, a good research works is administered to scale back drag produced by the road vehicles and hence to enhance the aerodynamic performance of the automobiles. For most of the sports vehicles and passenger cars, aerodynamic drag directly influences the speed and fuel economy. The wake formed behind the passenger cars and sports utility vehicles in conjunction with a strong flow separation is that the main cause for drag production in automobiles. Various techniques are identified to attenuate the drag by influencing the flow field at the buttocks. Also, a comparison of vortex generators at the buttocks has been done to justify better aerodynamic performance of passenger cars. In the present investigation, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is effectively wont to simulate the flow field and comparison of aerodynamic performance. The Drag Co-efficient (CD) of the car model has been compared with and without vortex generators.