Coupled Analysis of Unsteady Aerodynamics and Vehicle Motion of a Heavy Duty Truck in Wind Gusts

Abstract

In the present study, unsteady aerodynamic forces acting on a simplified heavy duty truck in strong wind gust and their effects on the truck’s motion were investigated by using a coupled analysis. Unsteady fluid dynamics simulation was applied to numerically reproduce unsteady aerodynamic forces acting on the truck under sudden crosswind condition. Taking account of vehicle’s motion, moving boundary techniques were introduced. Motions of the truck were simulated by a vehicle dynamics simulation including a driver’s reaction. The equations of motion of the truck in longitudinal, lateral, and yaw-rotational directions were numerically solved. These aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics simulations were coupled by exchanging the aerodynamic forces and the vehicle’s motion. In order to investigate effects of the unsteady vehicle aerodynamics on the vehicle’s motion, conventional analysis of the vehicle’s motion using quasi-steady aerodynamic forces and one-way coupled analysis with fixed vehicle attitude were also conducted. The numerical results of these simulations were compared with each other, and the effects of the two kinds of unsteady aerodynamics were discussed separately and totally. In the sudden crosswind condition, the unsteady aerodynamics effected significantly on the truck’s motion. An effect of transient aerodynamics as the truck ran into a sudden crosswind was greater than an effect of unsteady aerodynamics caused by unsteady vehicle’s motion, while both of the effects showed significance.