Effect of Rear Wing on Time-Averaged Ground Vehicle Wake With Variable Slant Angle

Abstract

The slant angle plays a crucial role in the flow property of hatchback ground vehicles. An optimum slant angle is obligatory for better handling the ground vehicles when fitted with a rear wing. In this regard, the variation of time-averaged flow properties around a wing-attached hatchback ground vehicle (Ahmed body) due to a variable slant angle is accessed by this paper. The design includes a scaled Ahmed body as a reference ground vehicle and a rear wing with NACA 0018 profile. The computational studies are executed with Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes based k-epsilon turbulence model with nonequilibrium wall function. The vehicle's model is scaled to 75% of the actual model, and analyses are conducted with Reynolds number 2.7 × 106. After the study, it is observed that a 15 deg slant angle is the critical angle for the wing attached state in which the drag coefficient is maximum. After this angle, a sudden reduction of coefficients is observed, where 25 deg is critical for without wing condition. Besides this, the two counter-rotating horseshoe vortices in the separation bubble and side edge c-pillar vortices also behave differently due to the wing's presence. The turbulent kinetic energy variation and the variation in coefficients of surface pressure are also affected by the rear wing attachment. This paper will assist in finding the optimum slant angle for hatchback ground vehicles in the presence of a rear wing. Thus the study will help in increasing stability and control for hatchback ground vehicles.