Date of Award
Fall 2022
Access Type
Thesis - Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Department
College of Engineering
Committee Chair
Dr Sandra Boethcer
Committee Advisor
Dr Sandra Boethcer
First Committee Member
Dr Christopher Hockley
Second Committee Member
Dr Marc Compere
College Dean
Dr James Gregory
Abstract
The wake region on a moving ground vehicle is responsible for 70% of the aerodynamic drag when the speed of 90km/h is achieved. The topic of wake region manipulation has been revisited multiple times and with varying techniques. When manipulating the flow utilizing a fully passive method, pressure drag can be reduced, increasing the overall performance of the vehicle. To ensure high velocity fluid injection, a venturi shaped roof was implemented with an inlet size of 352mm x 12.7mm, and 2 outlets of size 88.011mm x 25.4mm resulting in an area of 4,470.959 for both inlet and outlet to maintain conservation of mass and not increase the pressure build up. These outlets were placed at the top corners of the rear window. This resulted in a net drag reduction of 11% from the base model simulation and a reduction of 5.78% from experimental data. The C-pillar vortex was reduced in size and pushed further out of the wake region as the overall pressure increased creating a smaller pressure difference. This suggests that passive clear air injection is a valid method in reducing pressure drag. This concept can be implemented on any object moving through a fluid, reducing pressure drag, increasing efficiency, and reducing fuel consumption on vehicles.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Kaminis, Angelos, "Effect of Passive Clean Air Injection Into the Wake Region of a Moving Ground Vehicle" (2022). Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. 694.
https://commons.erau.edu/edt/694
