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As powertrain performance of vehicle improves, brake load is gradually increasing. But it is not easy to increase brake size due to increment of cost and weight despite judder and fade problems are worried in field. Cooling-duct which provides additional forced convection to cool front brake is being considered instead of increasing brake size. However, cooling-duct causes loss of aerodynamic that increases drag coefficient of vehicle. This paper covers the optimization of brake cooling system including cooling-duct, deflector on suspension parts to direct air into front brake and dust cover so that minimize aerodynamic loss and maximize brake cooling performance. The optimal solution had been derived from thermal and aerodynamic simulation with CFD and verified through experimental test with vehicle.

Systematic numerical simulations were performed for the improvement of fuel efficiency and thermal performance of a compact size passenger vehicle. Both aerodynamic and thermal aspects were considered concurrently. For the sake of systematic evaluation, our study was conducted employing various design changes in multiple steps: 1) analysis of the baseline design; 2) elimination of the engine room components; 3) modification of the engine room component layout; 4) modification of the aerodynamic components (such as under body cover and cooling ducts). The vehicle performance characteristics corresponding to different design options were analyzed in terms of aerodynamic coefficient, engine coolant temperature, and surface temperatures of thermally critical components such as battery and exhaust manifold. Finally optimal design modification solutions for better vehicle performance were proposed.