Physical and Virtual Wind Tunnels: Automobile Design Approach

Abstract

AbstractThe optimization of the aerodynamics is a strategy frequently used by the automotive industry to improve car’s performance and behavior. This procedure requires a close collaboration between designers and engineers, in order to achieve the best results, these results can go from an improvement in fuel economy to a better stability at high speeds. The platform established as an essential tool for this achievement is the wind tunnel, a structure that using wind turbines simulates the passage of air through the car body. However, with the computer technology progress, a new study platform emerged: the virtual wind tunnel. This software seeks to replicate the function of the physical wind tunnel without the logistical constraints that this platform entails. A physical wind tunnel is usually an expensive and large equipment, while a virtual wind tunnel software is cheap and only requires a computer. However, there are pros and cons in both platforms. The main objective of this study is to identify the advantages and disadvantages associated with physical and virtual wind tunnel, in the automotive industry. Realize which of these platforms provides a better design/engineer interaction and question the possibility of leaving the physical test platform aside and use only the virtual platform and understand the consequences of this action for the car design process. The method consists in testing cars in both physical and virtual wind tunnel to gather actual data and understand the workability of both platforms. For the physical platform were used scale models, and for the virtual platform were used meshed 3d models. We compared the results and formulated a list of advantages and disadvantages to both tools. All these studies have a designer point of view, so we contemplate issues like the easy understanding of both platforms output data by someone that doesn’t have a deep aerodynamic engineering knowledge.KeywordsAutomotive designAerodynamicsLow cost vehicleVirtual interface