A Review of the Wind Conditions Experienced by a Moving Vehicle

981182

02/01/1998

Event
SAE International Congress and Exposition
Authors Abstract
Content
Vehicle aerodynamic development is normally undertaken in smooth flow wind tunnels. In contrast, the on-road environment is turbulent, with variations in the relative velocity experienced by the moving vehicle caused mainly by the effects of atmospheric turbulence. In this review the turbulence inherent in the atmosphere is considered, following the approach of wind engineers. The variations of atmospheric wind velocity with time, height, terrain and thermal stratification are summarised and discussed. Statistical parameters presented include mean velocity, turbulence intensities, spectra and probability density functions. The resulting fluctuating approach flow (relative velocity) of the moving vehicle is then considered. The effect of the fluctuating velocity field on parameters of interest to vehicle aerodynamicists (such as aerodynamic noise) are made.
Meta TagsDetails
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/981182
Pages
10
Citation
Watkins, S., and Saunders, J., "A Review of the Wind Conditions Experienced by a Moving Vehicle," SAE Technical Paper 981182, 1998, https://doi.org/10.4271/981182.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Feb 1, 1998
Product Code
981182
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English