Flow Field Investigation of the Wheel Housing Opening Shape on Heavy Truck Using CFD

Paper in proceeding, 2010

In this study the influence of several geometric wheel housing design parameters, such as the shape of the wheel housing opening and the use of wheel housing ventilation, have been investigated by numerical simulations. The simulations were performed under the influence of moving ground and rotating wheels on a truck of standard European configuration. Yawed flow conditions were taken into account as the drag coefficient of heavy trucks is highly affected by crosswinds. A potential for reducing the aerodynamic drag was observed by making geometric changes of the wheel housing design. The local flow field was investigated and the relationships between the shape of the wheel housing and the aerodynamic performance were identified.