Automotive manufacturers have intensified their efforts to
decrease the vehicle drag coefficients and weight in order to
optimize fuel consumption, in all light commercial vehicles
segments. The sump guard is an important component to be evaluated;
it has significant influence in drag and in the total weight of
vehicles.
The present work intends to evaluate the sump guard component
replacing steel - more commonly used in the Brazilian market - for
polymeric materials.
A complete study of feasibility under the light of the
aerodynamics and structural analysis is made. It also considered
the benefits of applying polymers instead of steel.
In the structural analysis, an impact and its consequences over
the integrity of the component are verified using the finite
analysis method.
As for the aerodynamics, a complete car in a wind tunnel is
replicated, using the finite volume analysis, to verify the
influence of drag and pressure coefficients over the sump
guard.