Projektförslag för kandidatarbete inom Tillämpad mekanik
Titel
Investigation of the flow structures on a Volvo
S60
Background
One main goal in the aerodynamic development of passenger vehicles is to reduce fuel
consumption. As vehicles are bluff bodies, drag is dominated by pressure drag, which is
mainly caused by detached flow and the wake created at the base. To enable further drag
reductions, it is of great importance to understand the physical phenomena behind
separation and how the flow structures develop.
Problem
Due to its complex geometry, the flow around a passenger car is influenced by many
different flow effects resulting in a particular wake structure. To reduce aerodynamic drag
it is desired to understand how the flow field develops and where the structures built up.
In this thesis the flow field of around a passenger car will be investigated under different
flow conditions (velocity and yaw). The objective is to understand and explain how the
flow structures change with a change in air speed and yaw angle. Different parameters
like surface pressure and velocity at specific planes shall be investigated. To describe the
flow field, vortex identification methods like an analysis of the Q criteria or the total
pressure can be used to describe its structure and behavior.
Genomförande: The investigations will be done numerically. CFD simulations of the
different cases will be carried out and results will be post-processed and analyzed. At the
end of the work the students will have learned a number of different CFD softwares.
Speciella förkunskapskrav: basic knowledge of fluid mechanics. It is consired an asset
if the student is interrested in cars and have some previous knowledge of CFD.
Möjlig målgrupp: F, KF, M, TM
Gruppstorlek: 2-5 students
Handledare: Sabine Bonitz
Examinator: Prof. Simone Sebben