Riassunto analitico
This master thesis covers a research on the aerodynamic effect of wheel deflectors on the DrivAer vehicle model in CFD with OpenFOAM. An initial literature analysis is done to determine the state of the art of the concept and the aerodynamics characteristics of wheels and the DrivAer model. A short overview is given on the theory of aerodynamics and methodology used throughout this project. The first big analysis covers a research on the effect of wheel deflectors in isolation, various 2D and 3D geometries were tested with a focus on vortex generators. The second analysis covers a study on the effects on tyre modeling in CFD with a focus on geometry and level of computational resolution. Next a study with a course mesh is done on the DrivAer model with a wide range of geometries for the deflector and a selection is made for further studies. The final analysis consist of a high detailed analysis of the selected deflectors and an iteration on the first version, as well as an analysis in crossflows and various geometrical effects to test the robustness of the device. The thesis provides a final conclusion at the end on the most promising deflector geometry to be used in future vehicles.
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