The Influence of Forebody Topology on Aerodynamic Drag and Aeroacoustics Characteristics of Squareback Vehicles using CAA

TL;DR

This study uses computational analysis to examine how different forebody shapes affect aerodynamic forces and noise in squareback vehicles, revealing notable flow structures but minimal impact on drag and sound.

Contribution

It provides a detailed numerical comparison of three forebody topologies and their influence on aerodynamics and aeroacoustics in squareback vehicles.

Findings

Significant differences in lift coefficients among shapes.

Presence of horseshoe vortex and flow interactions.

Negligible differences in overall drag and radiated sound.

Abstract

This study numerically investigates the aerodynamic forces and flow-induced noise generated by SAE-T4, Ahmed, and Hybrid forebody shapes with a squareback vehicle configuration using SBES-FW-H. The results show significant differences in lift coefficients and the presence of a horseshoe vortex at the mirror, with smaller eddies that interact with A-pillar vortices, resulting in pronounced pressure fluctuations and noise generation on the side window for the three configurations. Surprisingly, negligible differences in aerodynamic drag and radiated sound are predicted despite these effects.