Aerodynamic Proximity Effects Between the DrivAer and AeroSUV Standard Models, Part 2 – Adjacent-Lane and Lateral-Offset Interactions

2026-01-0606

To be published on 04/07/2026

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Aerodynamic interactions between two 30%-scale passenger vehicles in close proximity were examined experimentally in a large wind tunnel, with a focus on longitudinal separations up to 2 vehicle lengths, lateral separations up to one lane width, and combinations thereof. Part 1 of this paper described the longitudinal following (platooning) configurations of these results, while this paper concentrates on adjacent-lane influences and lateral-offset effects when platooning at a single separation distance. Test models were based on the DrivAer and AeroSUV open-access geometries, each with slant-back (Notchback or Fastback) and square-back (Estateback) variants. This provided four distinct model pairings, not all of which were tested in each positional arrangement. Adjacent-lane results matched the trends from a smaller-scale study in a different wind tunnel using the same geometry pair, with differences attributed to different blockage ratios in the two wind-tunnel studies. For three specific adjacent-lane arrangements, no significant differences were observed when changing the back variants of either of the models, suggesting that these proximity effects are primarily a function of model size. Four model pairs were tested with lateral offsets of 0.00, 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 lane-widths, corresponding to approximately 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 model widths, at a longitudinal separation distance of 0.5 model lengths. The data suggest that, as cross winds increase, peak drag reductions can be maintained for a platoon formation by laterally offsetting vehicles to maintain the follower model in the wake of the lead model, but the effect is sensitive to the shape of the lead vehicle. At 15deg yaw angle, a quarter-lane offset (half-width offset) can maintain the system drag reduction at this separation distance. Note: Part 2 may be amalgamated with Part 1, due to significant overlap in frontmatter material, but an amalgamated paper may be too long, reaching up to 30 pages. Hence this two-part abstract submission, since retracting a paper is easier than adding a paper.
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McAuliffe, B. and Ghorbanishohrat, F., "Aerodynamic Proximity Effects Between the DrivAer and AeroSUV Standard Models, Part 2 – Adjacent-Lane and Lateral-Offset Interactions," SAE Technical Paper 2026-01-0606, 2026, .
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To be published on Apr 7, 2026
Product Code
2026-01-0606
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English