Title: Aerodynamics of a bus with open windows

Authors: M.M. Yelmule, S.R. Kale, S.V. Veeravalli

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110 016, India. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110 016, India. ' Department of Applied Mechanics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110 016, India

Abstract: Most passenger trips worldwide are in open window buses where airflow due to motion provides comfort. The aerodynamics of such a bus was studied. Flow visualisations in a water channel using a 1 : 25 model showed highly turbulent inflow and outflow through rear and front windows, respectively. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) at the full-scale Reynolds number confirmed these features. Seven different interventions (in the form of slots on different surfaces) were considered. It was found that for the best configuration, the drag was reduced by 29% and the comfort zone increased from 11% to 52% of the passenger volume.

Keywords: bus aerodynamics; open windows; air circulation; intervention; drag; comfort level; flow visualisation; large eddy simulation; LES; passenger comfort.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.2009.027415

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2009 Vol.16 No.4, pp.459 - 488

Published online: 22 Jul 2009 *

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