Technical Paper
Effects on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of Vehicles in Longitudinal Proximity Due to Changes in Style
2018-05-30
2018-37-0018
The potential benefit for vehicles travelling in ‘platoon’ formations arises from a reduction in total aerodynamic drag which can result from the interaction of bluff bodies in close-proximity. During the 1980s this was considered as an opportunity to alleviate congestion and also for fuel-saving in response to the fuel crises of the 1970s. Early interest was limited partly due to the level of available control technology. But recent developments in vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems and autonomous driving technologies have provided the potential for platooning to be incorporated within future traffic management systems prompting renewed interest. For the investigation described in this paper, a new passenger car model was designed as the basis for determining the effectiveness of future low-drag styles in platoon formations. Small-scale models were tested in the Coventry University Wind Tunnel in platoons of up to 5 vehicles.