A study of vortices in the wake of a road motorcycle through wind tunnel vibration measurement Online publication date: Mon, 29-Jan-2018
by Davide Astolfi; Francesco Castellani; Roberto Pignattini
International Journal of Vehicle Noise and Vibration (IJVNV), Vol. 13, No. 3/4, 2017
Abstract: Vortices forming in the wake, due to the detachment of the fluid vein from road motorcycles, are a relevant cause of resistance to the motion and they are also responsible for pressures on the body of the pilot, degrading the comfort of the system. The present work is an experimental analysis of vortices in the wake of a motorcycle, through the analysis of vibrations. It has been conducted at the wind tunnel facility of the University of Perugia. The test motorcycle is Aprilia RSV 1000. Four different configurations are tested (motorcycle only, motorcycle with side wings, motorcycle with dummy, motorcycle with dummy and bulkheads) and the frequency spectra are consistently interpreted against the layout of the configuration. The main result is that the most important group of vortices, persisting when varying the configuration, is the one that is formed behind the back of the pilot. Further, the aerodynamic adjustment of the system is shown to lead to a sensible reduction in the amplitude of vibrations.
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