AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE UNSTEADY AERODYNAMICS OF PASSING HIGHWAY VEHICLES. FINAL REPORT

THE FORCES AND MOMENTS EXPERIENCED BY CERTAIN PASSENGER CARS ARE MEASURED AS A FUNCTION OF TIME AS THE VEHICLES ARE DISTURBED AERODYNAMICALLY BY PASSING BUSES AND TRUCKS IN THE INFLUENCE OF SIDEWINDS. THESE MEASUREMENTS ARE MADE ON 1110 SCALE MODELS MOVING AT ACTUAL SPEEDS OF UP TO 70 MPH. THE SITUATIONS STUDIED INCLUDE PASSING ENCOUNTERS IN WHICH AUTOS PASS AND ARE PASSED BY THE DISTURBING BUS OR TRUCK TRAVELING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS WELL AS OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. THE DISTURBED VEHICLES INCLUDE AN INTERMEDIATE SEDAN, A POPULAR FOREIGN SEDAN, AND A 20 FT. TRAVEL TRAILER BEING PULLED BY AN INTERMEDIATE SEDAN. DISTURBING VEHICLES INCLUDE 96- AND 102-INCH-WIDE BUSES AND 96- AND 102-INCH-WIDE SEMITRAILER COMBINATIONS. PARAMETERS VARIED FOR THESE TESTS WERE VEHICLE LATERAL SEPARATION, SPEEDS, RELATIVE DIRECTION, AND SIDE WIND VELOCITY. RESULTS SHOW THE DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF PEAK FORCES BETWEEN VARIOUS DISTURBING VEHICLES. FORCE SIGNATURES ARE USABLE FOR COMPUTER SIMULATION AND RESULTS HAVE VEHICLE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS. /HSL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Developmental Sciences

  ,    
• Authors:
  • BROWN, G J
  • SEEMANN, G R
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 92 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamics; Passing; Stability (Mechanics); Velocity; Wind
• Old TRIS Terms: Wind velocity
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223917
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 11 1973 12:00AM