DrivAer Model
A lot of the investigations in automotive aerodynamics are still based on strongly simplified generic bodies such as the Ahmed Body or the SAE body. A different approach is the direct investigation of production vehicles. Especially transient investigations often use generic car bodies. This is due to the fact that an unsteady investigation of an actual production car has so far not been feasible without enormous computational and experimental effort.
Additionally simple car models can help to understand the fundamental flow phenomena and to gain basic insights.
However, as their shapes are too different from actual car geometries these results will not be fully transferable to the development of production vehicles. This is especially true where complex body surfaces are involved, such as the A-pillars, the highly curved rear end or the wheelhouse region.
DrivAer body with different tops
Actual optimization is therefore often done on real production cars. These geometries are normally only accessible to a small group of people. Individual production vehicles are consequently rarely featured published work and are therefore ill-suited for reference purposes. To close the gap between the strongly simplified models and the highly complex production cars the new generic DrivAer model for external flow was introduced in 2011. As cooling air and engine bay flow have a considerable influence on the overall aerodynamic performance of a vehicle and the effects are also of increasing interest for academic research groups, an engine bay geometry has recently been added to the DrivAer model.
For others to profit as well from the benefits of the new DrivAer body, the CAD geometry is published here and can be downloaded for independent studies. Additionally numerical and experimental results gained at the Institute will be published in form of a database in order to facilitate the validation and future investigations of the DrivAer model.
Publications:
C. Collin, S. Mack, T. Indinger, J. Mueller. A Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of Open Jet Wind Tunnel Interferences using the DrivAer Reference Model. SAE International Journal of Passenger Cars-Mechanical Systems, 9(2016-01-1597), 657-679.
M. Peichl, S. Mack, T. Indinger, F. Decker. Numerical Investigation of the Flow Around a Generic Car Using Dynamic Mode Decomposition. In ASME 2014 4th Joint US-European Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting collocated with the ASME 2014 12th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels (pp. V01CT17A002-V01CT17A002). American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
A.I. Heft, T. Indinger. N.A. Adams: Systematic Optimization of the Cooling Duct System of Electric Vehicles, 31st AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, June 24-27, 2013, San Diego, California, USA Paper AIAA 2013-2520
A. Heft, T. Indinger, N. Adams: Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the DrivAer Model, ASME 2012, July 8-12, 2012, Puerto Rico, USA, FEDSM2012-72272
S. Mack, T. Indinger, N. Adams, S. Blume, P. Unterlechner: The Interior Design of a 40% Scaled DrivAer Body and First Experimental Results, ASME 2012, July 8-12, 2012, Puerto Rico, USA, FEDSM2012-72371
S. Mack, T. Indinger, N. Adams, P. Unterlechner: The Ground Simulation Upgrade of the Large Wind Tunnel at the Technische Universität München, SAE 2012 World Congress, April 23-26, 2012, Detroit, Michigan, USA, Paper 2012-01-0299
A. Heft, T. Indinger, N. Adams: Introduction of a New Realistic Generic Car Model for Aerodynamic Investigations, SAE 2012 World Congress, April 23-26, 2012, Detroit, Michigan, USA, Paper 2012-01-0168
J. Wojciak, N. Adams, T. Indinger, P. Theissen, R. Demuth: Investigation of Unsteady Vehicle Aerodynamics under Time-Dependent Flow Conditions, 29th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, June 27-30, 2011, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, Paper AIAA 2011-3349
A. I. Heft, T. Indinger, N. A. Adams: Investigation of Unsteady Flow Structures in the Wake of a Realistic Generic Car Model, 29th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, June 27-30, 2011, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, Paper AIAA 2011-3669
J. Wojciak, P. Theissen, K. Heuler, T. Indinger, N. Adams, R. Demuth: Experimental Investigation of Unsteady Vehicle Aerodynamics under Time-Dependent Flow Conditions - Part 2, SAE 2011 World Congress, April 12-14, 2011, Detroit, Michigan, USA, Paper 2011-01-0164
P. Theissen, J. Wojciak, K. Heuler, R. Demuth, T. Indinger, N. Adams: Experimental Investigation of Unsteady Vehicle Aerodynamics under Time-Dependent Flow Conditions - Part 1, SAE 2011 World Congress, April 12-14, 2011, Detroit, Michigan, USA, Paper 2011-01-0177