Experimental and Numerical Studies on Improvement of Aerodynamic Performance of a Semi-trailer Truck Model Using the Cabin Spoiler

Abstract

The paper presents the procedure of design, analysis and verification of the geometric parameters of the airfoil-shaped aerodynamic spoiler on the cabin of a semi-trailer truck. The procedure was carried out in order to obtain the optimal geometric shape and position of the spoiler, which will reduce the aerodynamic drag of a semi-trailer truck. The procedure for optimizing the geometric shape and position is based on Design of Experiments and Response Surface Methodology. The research included virtual experiments, realized by Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation, and physical experiments in a wind tunnel. A small-scaled model of a semi-trailer truck was used for the optimization of the shape and position of the aerodynamic spoiler. The achieved results were confirmed by experimental tests in a wind tunnel.

Keywords

• aerodynamic drag force
• aerodynamic spoiler
• airfoil
• CFD
• DoE
• semi-trailer truck