THE AERODYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF CAR-CARAVAN COMBINATIONS

WIND TUNNEL TEST DATA ON A 1/16 SCALE CAR-CARAVAN COMBINATION SHOW THE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS CARAVAN DESIGN FEATURES ON THE OVERALL DRAG AND LIFT OF THE COMBINATION. FROM THIS THE GENERAL CONCLUSIONS WERE THAT: (1) ROUNDING THE FORWARD EDGES, SLOPING THE FORWARD FACE REARWARDS FROM THE BOTTOM, REDUCING THE GAP, AND(4) USING GUIDE VANES DOWN THE REAR VERTICAL EDGES, WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCED DRAG. A LOW DRAG CARAVAN INCORPORATING THESE FEATURES SHOWED A SMALL IMPROVEMENT 6 - 10% IN DRAG OVER THE BASIS CARAVAN. SOME YAW DATA ON THE BASIC CARAVAN ALONE IS ALSO PRESENTED INDICATING A CENTER OF PRESSURE FOR SIDE FORCE A LITTLE AHEAD OF THE CENTER OF SIDE AREA. THIS CREATES A DE-STABLILISING EFFECT WHICH INCREASES WITH SPEED. /RRL(A)/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 18 Pp, 13 FIG, 10 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  City University, London /UK

  /Dept of Aeronautics
  ,   United States 
• Authors:
  • Waters, D M
• Publication Date: 1970

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamics; Design; Drag; Trailers; Wind tunnels
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00222823
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Road Research Laboratory /UK
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 18 1971 12:00AM