Search Results

The addition of wheel-wells and wheels to a basic automotive body results in significant changes to the drag and lift produced by the vehicle Wind tunnel tests were conducted with a generic automotive body shape that included wheel-wells that could be varied in radius, or height, and depth The range of depths and radii encompassed wheel to wheel-well relationships for a wide range of vehicle types All tests were performed using a moving ground plane and rotating wheels for proper ground and wheel simulation respectively The wheels were mounted independent of the body by cantilever struts attached to the wind tunnel walls to allow the forces on the body and wheels to be measured independently Additionally, surface oil flow visualization, tufts and surface mean pressure measurements were employed to identify the aerodynamic mechanisms responsible for the forces measured.