Abstract
Full scale CFD simulations of the Generic Conventional Model (GCM), a simplified model of a Class 8 truck, were used to explore passive devices for improving the drag performance of the trailer base. Significant improvements over conventional straight base flaps were achieved using an Extended Bent (EB) flap that stays within the length limits imposed by US federal law. An additional boat tail device for the cab bogie base was also found to yield improvements in the base drag in that region. This device in combination with the EB flap leads to a wind-averaged drag reduction of 21 % over the non-modified GCM model. An under-trailer scoop to generate air for pressurizing the trailer base or for use in active flow control devices was found to add too much drag to be effective.
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Acknowledgments
This works was funded in part by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission Center of Excellence in Applied Computational Science and Engineering with Dr. Harry McDonald as technical monitor. This support is gratefully acknowledged.
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Pankajakshan, R., Hilbert, C.B., Whitfield, D.L. (2016). Passive Devices for Reducing Base Pressure Drag in Class 8 Trucks. In: Dillmann, A., Orellano, A. (eds) The Aerodynamics of Heavy Vehicles III. ECI 2010. Lecture Notes in Applied and Computational Mechanics, vol 79. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20122-1_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20122-1_14
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