On Simulating Passenger Car Side Window Buffeting

Side window buffeting is simulated for a passenger car using unstructured mesh and a finite volume based CFD solver. We first provide a description of the analysis method. Two vehicle configurations are considered: front window open and rear window open. The accuracy of RNG k-ε and LES turbulence models is evaluated for this application by comparing predicted buffeting frequency spectrum with corresponding experimental measurements made in a wind tunnel. Further, the effects of several parameters on buffeting frequency and amplitude are studied. They include vehicle speed, yaw angle, inlet turbulent intensity, observer location inside the passenger compartment, presence of exhauster and side view mirror design. Simulation results prove to follow the trends observed in the experiments.