Soiling CFD Simulations on the DrivAer Fastback

The DrivAer model has been widely studied both numerically and experimentally in terms of aerodynamic performance, providing an interesting and large database for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes validation. Soiling simulations are a new trend in the automotive industry since the development of self-drive features and autonomous vehicles, which rely mostly on sensors. Dust, water or incorrect positioning of the sensors may lead vehicles to fail on self-driving tasks and might cause accidents or wrong operation. This study aims to contribute to the automotive community by performing a CFD soiling simulation on the DrivAer fastback model and evaluate its performance in terms of water accumulation and how the water particles interact with the flow structures. The particle trajectory and the impingement regions are evaluated and illustrated in order to provide a map for correct sensor position or adding cleaning points. Two DrivAer fastback vehicles are considered for the study and results indicate that aerodynamic behavior is the key contributor for soiling performance and the rear DrivAer is mostly contaminated on the driver side.