Abstract
This paper explores a number of aspects of bluff body research that may help in the understanding and advancement of the aerodynamics of heavy vehicles. The relationship between the lift and drag of bodies moving close to the ground is discussed and the unsteady trailing vortex structure of a vehicle is illustrated. The importance of the ground boundary condition and the flow structure around wheels rotating in contact with the ground are also described. Methods for the reduction of forebody and base drag are discussed and the possibilities for using flow control techniques to modify free shear layer development as a means of reducing drag are addressed. Finally the role of the natural wind, particular atmospheric turbulence, in affecting vehicle flows is examined.
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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Bearman, P. (2009). Bluff Body Flow Research with Application to Road Vehicles. In: Browand, F., McCallen, R., Ross, J. (eds) The Aerodynamics of Heavy Vehicles II: Trucks, Buses, and Trains. Lecture Notes in Applied and Computational Mechanics, vol 41. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85070-0_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85070-0_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-85069-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-85070-0
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