Influence of the geometric parameters of the vehicle on its aerodynamic characteristics

Abstract

In the article, the authors analyzed the relevance of the research topic, defined the goal, task, subject and object of the research. They also provided an analysis of well-known studies related to the study of the peculiarities of the formation of air resistance during the movement of motor vehicles. On the basis of the analysis of known studies on the factors affecting the geometric parameters of road trains on aerodynamic resistance, the relevance of the studies is substantiated, and their purpose and tasks are formulated.
The purpose of the article is to determine the influence of geometric parameters of road trains on their aerodynamic characteristics and, as a result, on fuel consumption, and therefore on the cost of transport work. The tool for researching this issue is software, which will be used to conduct a number of experiments. Every year, road trains move millions of kilometers of various goods, and on such a scale, the price of each individual kilometer plays a very important role. Based on the analysis of the power balance equation, it can be concluded that a significant part of the engine power is spent on overcoming air resistance, and the higher the speed of the road train, the greater this resistance.
The relevance of research lies in the possibility of reducing costs through the adoption of a number of decisions to reduce the aerodynamic resistance of road trains.
The mechanism of air resistance is considered. It has been found that reducing aerodynamic drag is a very important task, as every 2% reduction in vehicle drag results in a 1% improvement in fuel economy. Compared to passenger cars, trucks have a much larger cross-section and more clumsy outlines. This is caused by the specifics of their purpose and use. When creating a universal truck, they try to get as much volume as possible to accommodate cargo with the minimum area occupied by the car on the road, and since part of this area is the engine and cabin, it is natural that the body is high. So, if one of the ways to reduce the aerodynamic resistance of a passenger car is to reduce its cross-section, first of all, its height, then another option should be found for a highway truck or road train.