Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics of Vehicles, Volume II

Dear Colleagues,

Aerodynamics is one of the major factors to consider during the design and development phases of vehicles, be they passenger or commercial road vehicles, race cars, trains, or air vehicles. During the early days of vehicle aerodynamics, improved fuel economy and speed gain by drag reduction, and improving occupant safety and comfort by minimizing the effects of aerodynamic instability were the major goals of vehicle aerodynamics. However, as ground vehicles became faster and high-speed road and train transportation infrastructures were developed, aerodynamic flow instability induced wind noise or aeroacoustics became another significant design consideration, aeroacoustics became an integral part of vehicle aerodynamic design. Though drag reduction and wind noise control are the primary considerations for passenger and commercial vehicles, race cars and high-performance road and street cars require the creation of an aerodynamic downforce for better traction and cornering. Thus, aerodynamics has become the single most important aspect of race and performance vehicle designs. In addition, it is recently observed that significant drag reduction and, hence, improved fuel economy can be achieved when road vehicles are driven in convoy, called platooning; the same phenomenon is used in racing called drafting for increased speed.

Road and track testing, wind tunnel experiments, and computer simulations are the three tools of trade used in vehicle aerodynamics. All these three approaches have their advantages and limitations. Correlating results from these approaches for the same vehicle is challenging, and improving the correlations between these approaches is an ongoing process. As such, we see newer on-road and wind-tunnel measurement techniques and CFD methodologies evolving continuously. Additionally, efforts are ongoing to include the effects of real-life read road conditions, such as the impact of wind gusts or crosswind on vehicle performance, stability, and control, in laboratory environments. Over the last few decades, considerable improvements have been made in these areas, and this trend is continuing.

In consideration of the above, we have planned a Special Issue of the journal Fluids, dedicated to recent developments in experimental and modeling methodologies as applied to vehicle aerodynamics and aeroacoustics. The potential topics for submissions include but are not limited to the following broad areas: 

• Road, train, air, and race vehicle aerodynamics;
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and simulation of vehicle internal and external flows;
• Wind tunnel testing of vehicles;
• Road and track testing of ground vehicles;
• Fundamentals of vehicle aerodynamics;
• Drag reduction and flow control methodologies for vehicle flows;
• Wind tunnel aeroacoustics measurements and testing techniques;
• Modeling and simulations of ground vehicle aeroacoustics;
• Wind noise reduction methodologies;
• Road vehicle platooning and driving in proximity in racing;
• Crosswind stability of ground vehicles;
• Replication of on-road conditions in wind tunnel experiments;
• CFD–wind tunnel correlation for aerodynamic and aeroacoustics measurements.

Prof. Dr. Mesbah Uddin
Guest Editor

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• aerodynamics and aeroacoustics of passenger and commercial road vehicles
• aerodynamics of trains and race vehicles
• transient aerodynamics and aeroacoustics simulations of vehicle flows
• experimental techniques applied in road and air vehicle aerodynamics
• flow controls applied to road and air vehicles and trains
• aerodynamic shape optimization of vehicles
• road vehicle overtaking maneuvers and platooning
• effect of rapid changes in upstream flow conditions on the vehicle aerodynamic characteristics
• interactions of vehicle flow with surrounding infrastructure