Influence of free-stream turbulence on the aerodynamics of road vehicles
Abstract: Road transport dominates the freight and passenger mobility sector. However, this strategic sector faces considerable challenges to conjugate the increasing need for freedom of movement with sustainable growth. To promote the development of low environmental impact transport, national and international laws set mandatory emission reduction targets for the automotive industry. Over the past decades, large efforts have been invested by the scientific community to investigate and control the complex aerodynamics of simplified road vehicles at the laboratory scale. However, the role of external conditions remains largely unexplored. Indeed, most of the works dedicated to road vehicle were performed in low turbulence background. During this seminar, I will present some recent investigations about the influence of free-stream turbulence on the aerodynamics of road vehicles in wind-tunnel experiments. A particular emphasis will be put on the evolution of the near wake as well as the wall pressure distribution with respect to the operating conditions.
