AERODYNAMICS. AERODYNAMICS AND CAR BODY DESIGN

The increasing level of fuel costs has added impetus to the requirements for more efficient air flow over car bodies. Although it is not a problem to design a low drag body, there are constraints in turning it into a manufacturing design due to minimum capacity requirements. It is emphasised that aerodynamic drag is important not only at high speed but also at low speed because at speeds as low as 40 mph air resistance absorbs more energy than rolling resistance. Airflow characteristics combine the effects of air viscosity with that resulting from a system of free vortices shed from the surface where the flow separates. Drag caused by air viscosity is made up of pressure drag and skin friction drag. The article discusses the detail design of car bodies and its effect on airflow resistance. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0032258X
• Corporate Authors:

  Justice of the Peace (Holdings) Limited

  East Row, Little London
  Chichester, West Sussex,   England 
• Authors:
  • Harris, P
• Publication Date: 1980-12

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 373-380
• Serial:
  • POLICE JOURNAL
  • Volume: 53
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: BARRY ROSE LAW PERIODICALS AND CONTRIBUTORS
  • ISSN: 0032-258X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamics; Air; Automobiles; Design; Drag; Energy absorption; Flow; Friction; Fuel consumption; Motor vehicle bodies; Motor vehicles; Rolling; Shape; Skin resistance; Speed; Traffic speed; Vehicle dynamics; Viscosity; Vortices
• Uncontrolled Terms: Air flow
• Old TRIS Terms: Automobile bodies; Resistance
• ITRD Terms: 5492: Aerodynamics; 6714: Air; 1356: Body (car); 1243: Car; 9011: Design (overall design); 5452: Friction; 232: Fuel consumption; 9073: Shape; 5936: Viscosity
• Subject Areas: Design; Energy; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00330820
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 15 1981 12:00AM