Aerodynamics and flow simulations come of age

With the advent of faster computers, engineers are using CFD software as a practical tool, shaping designs early in the product development cycle. The challenges today are in how best to use it and by whom.

“A decade ago, we had to convince people that CFD and simulation had value. Nowadays CFD is a well-accepted tool in the automotive industry used in all phases of the vehicle development process,” said Dr. Burkhard Hupertz, Supervisor, Thermal & Aerodynamics System Engineering/Computer Aided Engineering for Ford in an interview with Automotive Engineering. His team is responsible for the virtual optimization and verification of new vehicle designs in vehicle aerodynamics and powertrain cooling.

Universal use comes to a mature technology when results are trusted. “For understanding fundamental aerodynamics and optimizing the exterior shape of a vehicle, as well as the underbody, the methodology is very mature,” he said. As a result, expectations of CAE in the development process have changed significantly. Once CAE was primarily used to assess the performance of a proposed design solution. “Today, CAE is expected to drive the vehicle development considering a continuously growing number of design parameters,” said Hupertz.