Investigation and Development of Underbody Aerodynamic Drag Reduction Devices for Trailer Trucks

It is well known that the underbody region of a tractor-trailer is responsible for up to 30% of the aerodynamic drag. This is the highest drag created by any region of a tractor-trailer. There are a number of underbody drag-reduction devices available on the market but they create a few operational issues, such as low ground clearance and ice collection, which inhibit their mass market appeal. In this paper, a novel concept of an underbody aerodynamic device is developed and investigated. The underbody device is a combination of a ramp and a side skirt; which are optimized simultaneously. In addition, the device is made collapsible to facilitate easy storage when not in use (i.e., city driving). NASA’s Generic Conventional Model (GCM); a 1/8th scale model of a generic class-8 tractor-trailer is used to evaluate and optimize the concept. The GCM allows the concept to be applicable to a wider range of tractor-trailers. The studies were conducted using the RANS based turbulence model, k-? SST in ANSYS Fluent. The simulations were validated with NASA’s experimental data on the GCM model; which include the surface pressure coefficients and a drag coefficient of the model. The results showed that the underbody device decreased the overall drag coefficient by 4.1%. In addition, the adverse negative pressure region in the wake was significantly reduced.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.4271/2018-01-0707
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01487191
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of SAE International.
• Authors:
  • Ibrahim, Mohamed
  • Agelin-chaab, Martin
• Conference:
  • WCX World Congress Experience
  • Location: Detroit Michigan, United States
  • Date: 2018-4-10 to 2018-4-12
• Publication Date: 2018-4-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Serial:
  • SAE Technical Paper
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
  • ISSN: 0148-7191
  • EISSN: 2688-3627
  • Serial URL: http://papers.sae.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamic features (Vehicle body components); Aerodynamics; Drag; Optimization; Scale models; Simulation; Tractor trailer combinations; Turbulence; Underbodies; Validation
• Subject Areas: Design; Motor Carriers; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01726849
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: SAE International
• Report/Paper Numbers: 2018-01-0707
• Files: TRIS, SAE
• Created Date: Dec 27 2019 5:11PM