Computational Analysis of Flow Around a Simplified Vehicle-Like Body

The flow around a simplified vehicle-like body was computed. The aerodynamic characteristics of this body depended on the afterbody geometry, especially the rear slant angle. In order to examine reliability of computation, the computations were performed for various rear slant angles. Regarding the computational method, two kinds of methods were applied: a Navier-Stokes solver that employs a k- ε turbulence model and a quasi-direct simulation with a third-order upwind difference scheme.

Comparing the results with a wind tunnel test data of the flow fields and aerodynamic forces, it was found that, the k- ε model had potential for prediction of flow field and the quasi-direct simulation for prediction of aerodynamic forces.