Volvo Car Corporation (VCC) uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel during the aerodynamic development of new vehicles. In the past VCC main focus has been on the drag force correlation to the wind tunnel measurements but in recent years improved methods for lift force correlations has been highly wanted. Three objectives were considered in this study to improve the lift force correlation between the CFD simulations and wind tunnel measurements for geometrical configurations of the V60 and S60 models.Poor mesh resolution for the wall bounded flow existed for the VCC mesh method and therefore prisms layers were considered in this thesis to increase the mesh resolution inside the boundary layer.As slick tyres generally were used in the CFD simulations better geometrical correlation was wanted to be studied as it could improve the lift force correlation between CFD simulations and wind tunnel measurements. Therefore detailed tyres were considered in this study.As the coarsest surface mesh size was used for the underbody and the components inside the engine bay, where some of the highest flow velocities occurred, mesh refinements were investigated for engine bay and underbody in this study.The prisms layers improved the predicted behavior for the boundary layer as it captured the large velocity gradients more accurately. Due to this, the skin friction prediction was also improved. Different flow behavior around the front wheels and rear wake occurred due to earlier separation. The different flow field caused an improved correlation for the lift force but worsened correlation for the drag force due to increased pressure at the rear of the cars. However, the front lift force trend correlation for the considered configurations was improved with the prisms layer mesh method.The detailed tyres caused slight more disturbances for the underbody flow which caused more attached flow around the rear of the car hence lowered pressure. Earlier separation around the front wheels also occurred for the detailed tyre geometry as the disturbed flow around the wheels was increased. Slight improved correlation for the front and rear lift forces to the wind tunnel measurements could be seen with the detailed tyre compared to the slick tyre.The mesh refinements for the engine bay and underbody showed significant differences for the flow at the underbody which had significant impact on the flow at the rear wake for the V60 model. Minor differences could be seen for the aerodynamic forces for the baseline configuration for the V60 model while great differences occurred for the configurations affecting the underbody. Due to this significant improved correlation for the front and rear lift force trends were achieved for the underbody configurations with the refined engine bay and underbody mesh method.Conclusions could be drawn that the prisms layer caused earlier separation due to its increased mesh resolution for the wall bounded flow. However, finer mesh resolution was needed inside the boundary layer to ensure consistent separation behavior for both the considered models. Improved correlation for the front lift force could however be seen. The detailed tyre only had minor effects on the flow field and aerodynamic forces and therefore not so important to include for further studies. The refined engine bay and underbody caused significant improved lift force trend correlation to the wind tunnel measurements and should be considered for future studies. To improve the correlation between CFD simulations and wind tunnel measurements increased mesh resolution for the wall bounded flow should be considered to better capture the large velocity gradients close to the wall.

A busca por formas mais eficientes quanto ao arrasto aerodinâmico de veículos rodoviários resultou recentemente em uma maior quantidade de pesquisas para compreensão do escoamento sobre o veículo quando este apresenta um ângulo de escorregamento aerodinâmico diferente de zero. O presente trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para análise linear de estabilidade do modelo dinâmico do veículo sob manobras de baixa severidade e considerando carregamentos aerodinâmicos. Um modelo dinâmico não-linear simplificado foi também desenvolvido utilizando dados de um veículo típico visando à comparação entre as metodologias. Ensaios experimentais em túnel de vento e simulações de fluidodinâmica computacional foram realizados utilizando-se uma geometria simplificada de um veículo visando à obtenção de valores dos carregamentos aerodinâmicos de força lateral e momento de guinada e à compreensão dos mecanismos de formação dos carregamentos aerodinâmicos. Os resultados obtidos mostram uma boa correlação entre os modelos linear e não-linear e relevante influência dos carregamentos aerodinâmicos de força lateral e momento de guinada na estabilidade estática do sistema. / The research for more efficient shapes regarding road vehicles aerodynamic drag resulted recently in an improved number of researches aiming at the understanding of the flow field over the vehicle when it has an aerodynamic slip angle different of zero. This work presents the development of a methodology for linear stability analysis of a vehicle dynamic model under low severity maneuvers and considering aerodynamic loads. A non-linear dynamic model has also been developed with information from a typical vehicle for comparison between the methodologies. Wind tunnel testing and computational fluid dynamics simulation have been carried out with simplified vehicle geometry in order to measure the aerodynamic side force and yawing moment and provide information for the understanding of the mechanisms generating the aerodynamic loads. The results show a good correlation between the linear and non-linear models and a relevant influence of the aerodynamic side force and yawing moment on the static stability of the system.

<p>Ground vehicles are subjected to crosswind from various origins such as weather, topography of the ambient environment (land, forest, tunnels, high bushes...) or surrounding traffic. The trend of lowering the weight of vehicles imposes a stronger need for understanding the coupling between crosswind stability, the vehicle external shape and the dynamic properties. Means for reducing fuel consumption of ground vehicles can also conflict with the handling and dynamic characteristics of the vehicle. Streamlined design of vehicle shapes to lower the drag can be a good example of this dilemma. If care is not taken, the streamlined shape can lead to an increase in yaw moment under crosswind conditions which results in a poor handling.</p><p>The development of numerical methods provides efficient tools to investigate these complex phenomena that are difficult to reproduce experimentally. Time accurate and scale resolving methods, like Detached-Eddy Simulations (DES), are particularly of interest, since they allow a better description of unsteady flows than standard Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes (RANS) models. Moreover, due to the constant increase in computational resources, this type of simulations complies more and more with industrial interests and design cycles.</p><p>In this thesis, the possibilities offered by DES to simulate unsteady crosswind aerodynamics of simple vehicle models in an industrial framework are explored. A large part of the work is devoted to the grid design, which is especially crucial for truthful results from DES. Additional concerns in simulations of unsteady crosswind aerodynamics are highlighted, especially for the resolution of the wind-gust boundary layer profiles. Finally, the transient behaviour of the aerodynamic loads and the flow structures are analyzed for several types of vehicles. The results simulated with DES are promising and the overall agreement with the experimental data available is good, which illustrates a certain reliability in the simulations. In addition, the simulations show that the force coefficients exhibit highly transient behaviour under gusty conditions.</p> / ECO2 Crosswind Stability and Unsteady Aerodynamics for Ground Vehicles

This thesis deals with aerodynamic forces and their influence on body position and ride comfort due changes in wheel loads. Simulation was made in computer program ADAMS (MSC Software TM).

Ground vehicles are subjected to crosswind from various origins such as weather, topography of the ambient environment (land, forest, tunnels, high bushes...) or surrounding traffic. The trend of lowering the weight of vehicles imposes a stronger need for understanding the coupling between crosswind stability, the vehicle external shape and the dynamic properties. Means for reducing fuel consumption of ground vehicles can also conflict with the handling and dynamic characteristics of the vehicle. Streamlined design of vehicle shapes to lower the drag can be a good example of this dilemma. If care is not taken, the streamlined shape can lead to an increase in yaw moment under crosswind conditions which results in a poor handling. The development of numerical methods provides efficient tools to investigate these complex phenomena that are difficult to reproduce experimentally. Time accurate and scale resolving methods, like Detached-Eddy Simulations (DES), are particularly of interest, since they allow a better description of unsteady flows than standard Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes (RANS) models. Moreover, due to the constant increase in computational resources, this type of simulations complies more and more with industrial interests and design cycles. In this thesis, the possibilities offered by DES to simulate unsteady crosswind aerodynamics of simple vehicle models in an industrial framework are explored. A large part of the work is devoted to the grid design, which is especially crucial for truthful results from DES. Additional concerns in simulations of unsteady crosswind aerodynamics are highlighted, especially for the resolution of the wind-gust boundary layer profiles. Finally, the transient behaviour of the aerodynamic loads and the flow structures are analyzed for several types of vehicles. The results simulated with DES are promising and the overall agreement with the experimental data available is good, which illustrates a certain reliability in the simulations. In addition, the simulations show that the force coefficients exhibit highly transient behaviour under gusty conditions. / ECO2 Crosswind Stability and Unsteady Aerodynamics for Ground Vehicles

The thesis aims to provide an evaluation on the Volvo 1/5th scaled wind tunnel regarding its potentials and capabilities in aerodynamic study. The flow quality in the test section was evaluated. The experiments were performed included measurements of airspeed stability, tunnel-wall boundary layer profile and horizontal buoyancy. A numerical model was developed to predict the boundary layer thickness on the test floor. Repeatability tests were also conducted to establish the appropriate operating regime.A correlation study between the 1/5th scaled wind tunnel (MWT) and full scale wind tunnel (PVT) was performed using steady force and unsteady pressure measurements. The Volvo Aero 2020 concept car was selected to be the test model.The Reynolds effect and the tunnel-wall boundary layer interference were identified in the steady force measurements. Unsteady near-wake phenomena such as wake pumping and wake flapping were discussed in the unsteady base pressure measurements.

The master thesis deals with the influence of a local change of temperature due to advection from disc brake to axial velocity field close to the rotating wheel of a car. The second goal is to set parameters applicable to various wheel discs and study of the influence of these parameters to aerodynamical properties of car and thermodynamical properties of the disc brake. The thesis is numerically executed in StarCCM+. The first part focuses on theoretical background about the numerical solution and current status of research. There are described disc parameters, geometry input and solver settings in the second part. The final part deals with a comparison of velocity fields for isothermal and thermodynamical model and evaluates the influence of parameters to velocity field, aerodynamical drag and thermodynamical performance of the brake.

La pollution de l’air cause de près de 7 millions de décès annuels dans le monde. L’exposition aux Particules Ultrafines (PUF), polluants parmi les plus néfastes pour la santé, atteint ses niveaux les plus importants en milieu urbain, principalement dus au transport routier. Dans cette thèse, nous examinons les liens entre les champs de concentration en nombre des PUF émises à l'échappement dans le sillage de modèles simplifiés d'automobiles (corps d’Ahmed) et les propriétés de ces écoulements. Ces travaux permettent de mieux comprendre les niveaux d'exposition aux PUF auxquels sont soumis tous les usagers de la route à l’échelle du sillage du véhicule. Trois modèles simplifiés de véhicules ont été utilisés. Ils sont caractérisés par leur angle de lunette arrière permettant de reproduire en soufflerie les structures principales des écoulements de sillage automobile. A l’aide d’une méthode innovante de traitement des données, des mesures de vitesses acquises grâce à des techniques différentes (LDV/PIV) ont été analysées. Elles ont révélé que l’angle d’inclinaison de la lunette a un rôle déterminant sur la structure des écoulements de sillage. Par ailleurs, la comparaison avec les mesures des concentrations en nombre de PUF a permis de montrer que le volume de la structure torique de recirculation en proche culot, dépendant de la géométrie, a un impact majeur sur la dispersion des particules dans la direction verticale. Enfin, il est mis en évidence que les structures tourbillonnaires longitudinales existantes pour une inclinaison intermédiaire de la lunette ont un impact prépondérant sur la dispersion transversale ainsi que sur la symétrie des champs de concentration. / Around 7 million worldwide annual death sare due to air pollution. Among all pollutants, UltrafineParticles (UFP) cause strong adverse effects. Due to road transport, UFP exposure reaches its most significant levels in urban areas. In this thesis, the aim is to assess the links between the wake flow properties of simplified car models(Ahmed bodies) and UFP number concentration fields due to exhaust emission. This study enables the knowledge about UFP exposure levels of all road users at vehicle wake scale to be better understood. Three simplified car models with three corresponding rear slant angles have been used in order to reproduce the principal wake structures of road vehicles in a wind tunnel. Thanks to an innovative data processing method, velocity measurements with two techniques(LDV/PIV) point out the major role of the rear slantangle on the model wake structures. Moreover, comparisons have been made with particle number concentration measurements of UFP in the wake of the same models. We highlighted the link between the volume of the toric recirculation region close to the rear and the vertical dispersion of UFP. Furthermore, longitudinal vortices that exist with the intermediate rear slant angle geometry play an important role on the transversal dispersion as well as on the concentration field symetry.

L’aérodynamique latérale des véhicules automobiles suscite de nos jours de plus en plus d’intérêt de la part des constructeurs. L’automobiliste est en effet soumis quotidiennement à de forts courants d’air latéraux, que ce soit lors du dépassement d’un autre véhicule, ou alorsen passant dans un couloir de vent du à la topographie du terrain (passage devant un espace entre deux immeubles par exemple). Les efforts aérodynamiques mis en jeu dans ces situations peuvent provoquer des mouvements non désirés du véhicule, pouvant avoir des conséquences dramatiques si le conducteur se laisse surprendre. Des études expérimentales reproduisant les effets d’un dérapage dynamique ont mis en évidence des phénomènes transitoires importants mettant à défaut les modèles stationnaires généralement pratiqués par les constructeurs pour qualifier le comportement de leurs véhicules en présence de dérapage. Les mécanismes responsables de ces phénomènes transitoires sont encore mal connus de la communauté scientifique. Ce travail propose d’approfondir ce sujet au travers de l’étude de l’aérodynamique d’un véhicule terrestre fixe soumis à un vent longitudinal et à une rafale de vent latéral. Le but principal est d’identifier les structures tourbillonnaires au moyen de mesures PIV et de calculs numériques des champs de vitesse autour d’une maquette automobile et de les corréler aux efforts aérodynamiques. Un accord entre l’ISAT, composante de l’Université de Bourgogne, et l’Institut Supérieurde l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (ISAE) de Toulouse a permis de mener l’étude avec les ressources de cet établissement. Le moyen d’essai principal, créé par l’ISAE, est le banc« rafale latérale », constitué d’une soufflerie principale et d’une soufflerie secondaire, dont la sortie à volet déferlants (« Mexican Wave ») est inspirée de l’approche proposée par Ryan et Dominy (2000). L’analyse expérimentale a été effectuée à l’aide de la PIV résolue en temps et stéréoscopique, et d’une balance dard instationnaire à cinq composantes. Un banc« numérique » identique a été constitué à l’aide du logiciel FLUENT©, pour des calculs 3D. De plus, un modèle 2D annexe, basé sur la méthode « meshless », a été développé pour de futures investigations, en raison de sa robustesse pour des problèmes à fortes discontinuités et sa bonne adaptabilité aux problèmes avec frontières mobiles.Une première phase de ce travail a consisté en la mise au point des bancs expérimental et numérique, avec génération d’un champ de dérapage homogène, de 21° dans la zone de mesure. L’évolution du dérapage en chaque point respecte bien la forme d’un créneau imposé par la rafale. Pour l’analyse des efforts, deux géométries de maquette ont été étudiées, à savoir un corps de Windsor à culot droit générant, pour un écoulement longitudinal, des structures de sillage bidimensionnelles, et son homologue à culot incliné de 25°, générant des tourbillons « cigare ». Des pics d’efforts ont été observés à l’arrivée de la rafale, tout comme la littérature le prédit. Pour ce qui est du coefficient du moment de lacet, les sursauts sont de 29 % et 19 % respectivement pour la maquette à culot droit et celle à culot incliné, par rapport aux valeurs stationnaires. Concernant le coefficient de force de dérive, ils sont de 10 % et 14 %, respectivement. Lors de nos essais, ces efforts se sont établis après 5.5 longueurs de maquette. Afin d’expliquer la différence de comportement entre les deux maquettes en termes d’efforts, l’évolution temporelle des tourbillons nommés, dans ce mémoire, ΓA, ΓB, ΓC et Γ1 à été discutée. Il en est ressorti une forte corrélation entre la circulation du tourbillon ΓA, le plusénergétique, naissant à l’avant du flanc sous le vent de la maquette, et les efforts latéraux, de sorte que ce tourbillon serait le meilleur témoin des phénomènes instationnaires mis en jeu dans l’étude de l’effet du vent latéral. [...] / The automotive manufacturers are nowadays more and more interested in crosswind aerodynamics. Indeed, the driver is subjected every day to strong side air flows, for example when overtaking another vehicle or when passing through a lateral wind wall, generated by terrain topography (as in the case of the passage near the empty space between two buildings).The aerodynamic efforts generated in these situations can lead to undesired lateral deviations,which can be dramatic if the driver is surprised. Different experimental studies, reproducing the effects of a dynamic yaw angle, pointed out the issues of the steady methods, commonly used to qualify the vehicle crosswind behaviour. Little is still known about the physics behind these unsteady phenomena. This is the main topic of this work, by studying the aerodynamics of a fixed vehicle subjected to both a longitudinal flow and a side wind gust. The goal is the identification of the near-vehicle vortex structures, by means of PIV measurements and CFD calculations, and their correlation with the evolution of the efforts. An agreement between the ISAT, a department of the University of Burgundy, and the ISAE of Toulouse, permitted to carry out this research with the resources of the latter laboratory. The work focuses on the use of the “rafale latérale” (side gust) test bench, made up with a main wind tunnel connected with an auxiliary one by means of a shutter system,whose opening is held by a “Mexican Wave” law. This approach is inspired by the work of Dominy and Ryan (2000). The experimental analysis was carried out by means of Time-Resolved and stereoscopic PIV, and by a five components unsteady balance as well. Anidentical test bench was numerically reproduced with the 3D CFD software FLUENT©.Moreover, an additional 2D CFD model, based on the meshless method, has been developed for future studies. This kind of approximation method has been chosen for its robustness innon-continuous problems and because of its adaptability when moving boundaries are needed.The first phase of this work consisted on wind tunnels set-up, both for the real test bench and for the CFD model. The yaw angle field is homogeneous, 21° in the measurement region. The yaw angle evolution, at given point, respects the step wise behaviour, imposed by the gust passage. As far as the efforts are concerned, two versions of the Windsor body car model were studied, that is a squareback geometry, generating, for longitudinal flows, 2D wakestructures, and a fastback geometry (rear window inclined by 25°), producing cone-liketrailing vortices. Force overshoots were seen after the gust arrival, as seen in literature. In particular, the yaw moment coefficient overshoots are 29% and 19% higher than the steady yaw angle tests, for the squareback and the fastback geometries, respectively. If the side forceis concerned, the entities of these overshoots are 10% and 14%, respectively. Our testspointed out that efforts establish after the vehicle has driven 5.5 times its length in thecrosswind. In order to explain the different behaviour of the two geometries, it is discussed about the unsteady evolution of the vortices called, in this report, ΓA, ΓB, ΓC et Γ1. A strong correlation between the side efforts and the circulation of the most energetic vortex, ΓA,having its origin in the front leeward side of the vehicle. The ΓA vortex is so the best index for the study of the crosswind unsteady phenomena. The coupled analysis between vortex structures and efforts confirmed the presence of a higher side force for the squareback geometry. The inverted effect has been observed for the yaw moment