Influence of Aerodynamics and Suspension on the Cross-Wind Behaviour of Passenger Cars-Theoretical Investigation under Consideration of the Driver's Response

Abstract

SUMMARY The handling behaviour in cross winds of fast, powerful passenger cars becomes more and more important as a result of the development of streamlined car bodies. Generally, bodies with low drag are more sensitive to cross wind. Up to now, one method of testing cross-wind sensitivity is by using a side-wind blower and evaluating the path deviation (fixed control). But unfavourable factors here are the normally large angle of approach, the constant velocity profile of the wind, the neglect of the driver's behaviour, etc. Therefore this paper points out results from simulation computations obtained from cruising in natural, stochastic cross winds under consideration of the driver's response. In the preliminary investigation for this work [4] the important and differing influences of (a) the aerodynamics of the body and (b) the handling properties of the chassis/suspension were identified. In this paper the body and chassis effects shall be investigated separately. Furthermore, a formula will be presen...