De Leon, Adrian (2016) Improving caravan design by modelling of crosswind. [USQ Project]
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Text (Main Project)
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Abstract
It is a well-known fact that towing a caravan over long distances can be a very expensive exercise especially with the rise in cost of fuel. Caravans by design are generally not seen to exhibit any standout aerodynamic features and as such can increase the fuel consumption of the tow vehicle by more than double. The effects of wind on the aerodynamics of the caravan are also of importance. Of particular interest, the effect that cross wind flow has on caravans is somewhat of an under stated issue. This project aims to analyze the effect of crosswind flow, propose some caravan modifications and evaluate any advantages to the tow vehicle regarding fuel economy.
The project aims to use Computational Fluid Dynamics to evaluate the caravan under a variety of operating conditions. By conducting a parametric study into various design features on the caravan it is possible to evaluate these proposal with CFD to obtain data that can show the potential increases in efficiency and economy over the original baseline design.
The results show that there are significant forces at play when analyzing crosswind flow on the caravan. The results also show that by carrying out modifications to key areas such as the gap between the car and caravan and also its general shape, there is potential for significant gains to be made in reducing the drag forces at play and subsequently enhancing the fuel economy of the tow vehicle. Results confirm that these forces can be reduced by up to 18%.
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| Item Type: | USQ Project |
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| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Major Mechanical Engineering project |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (1 Jul 2013 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Wandel, Andrew |
| Date Deposited: | 20 Jul 2017 01:32 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Jul 2017 01:32 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | computational fluid dynamics; caravan design; crossswind flow |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 09 Engineering > 0913 Mechanical Engineering > 091302 Automation and Control Engineering |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 40 ENGINEERING > 4007 Control engineering, mechatronics and robotics > 400799 Control engineering, mechatronics and robotics not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/31393 |
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