Crash Modeling of High-Profile Moving Vehicles Under Strong Crosswinds Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics

Extreme wind conditions can be a formidable foe to both highway and driver safety. Strong gusts increase the likelihood of wind-induced vehicle crashes, especially for high-sided vehicles (i.e., semi-trucks) in the United States. Current understanding of wind loads on high-sided vehicles comes mostly from wind tunnel tests, along with recent contributions from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies. However, limitations due to scaling issues (e.g., low Reynolds numbers) of wind tunnel data have constrained our understanding of the nature/uncertainties of such extreme load distributions due to high lateral wind conditions. In this research, the authors first conduct a comprehensive verification and validation (V&V) study of a CFD model. High-resolution CFD simulations are then used to investigate the flow around a two-dimensional rectangular cylinder that is representative of the trailer section of a high-sided vehicle. The findings of the study show that the flow past the trailer section of a high-sided vehicle is strongly asymmetrical and exhibits Reynolds number dependency compared with free flow around a rectangular cylinder. This contrasts with the assumption of a Reynolds number independence of aerodynamic coefficients made in traditional studies of overturning high-sided vehicles. The study also highlights the importance of ensuring that the model results are independent, not only of the grid sizing but also on the total domain sizing to obtain high fidelity results.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=1208
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/79179
• Summary URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/79180
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Colorado State University, Fort Collins

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Fort Collins, CO  United States  80525

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Venayagamoorthy, Karan
  • Sanchez, Daniel
  • Chen, Suren
• Publication Date: 2024-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 48p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamics; Crash risk forecasting; Crosswinds; Fluid dynamics; Overturning; Reynolds number; Tractor trailer combinations
• Subject Areas: Motor Carriers; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01942856
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MPC-644, MPC 24-561
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 21 2025 9:16AM