Title: Rear wing spoiler effects on vehicle stability and aerodynamic performance

Authors: H. Ragheb; M. El-Gindy

Addresses: Egyptian Armed Forces, Military Technical College, Automotive Engineering Department, Al-Khalifa Al-Maamoon Street, Kobry Elkobbah, Cairo, 11712, Egypt ' University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Department of Automotive, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, 2000 Simcoe Street North, ON L1H 7K4, Canada

Abstract: Nowadays, it is useful to understand the aerodynamic effects of the rear vehicle spoiler because of financial protection as well as environmental issues. The rear spoiler plays a major role in vehicle aerodynamics, improving agility, driving stability, handling, fuel consumption, acceleration and braking by optimal angle, size and shape to achieve the best performance of the vehicle. In the last decade, substantial efforts have been invested in the restrictions of modern wind tunnel tests and prompt advances in computer technology to research vehicle aerodynamics computationally. This paper uses commercial fluid dynamic software ANSYS FLUENT ® to study air flow around the car with a rear spoiler. A 4-door sedan car 3D computer model, to be built with SolidWorks ® commercial software, will be used in this study. Different designs of rear spoilers will be placed and simulated to determine their aerodynamic effects. Furthermore, the rear spoiler angle and height are investigated to reach the optimal aerodynamic performance for the car.

Keywords: aerodynamics; CFD; computational fluid dynamics; spoiler; lift coefficient; drag coefficient.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVSMT.2021.122817

International Journal of Vehicle Systems Modelling and Testing, 2021 Vol.15 No.4, pp.289 - 307

Received: 16 Jul 2020
Accepted: 17 Jul 2020
Published online: 13 May 2022 *

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