Investigation of three-dimensional flow separation patterns and surface pressure gradients on a notchback vehicle

Abstract

One main goal in the aerodynamic development of passenger vehicles is reducedfuel consumption. As vehicles are bluff bodies, drag is dominated by pressure drag,which is mainly caused by detached flow. To enable further reductions of the drag,it is of great importance to understand the physical phenomena behind separation.In this paper the influence of surface pressure gradients on the flow pattern of afull-scale passenger vehicle is investigated. The objective is threefold: i) Presentthe flow pattern on upper parts of the vehicle, ii) discuss the pressure gradientsaround selected areas and iii) link separation with the pressure field