Antony, Mareena (2017) Investigation on aerodynamic drag reduction by passive devices in commercial vehicles. Coursework Masters thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Although the study of aerodynamic drag in automobiles is popular among researchers, less attention is given to drag reduction in commercial vehicles which do not have streamlined body profiles. Absence of aerodynamic shape causes high drag forces and this corresponds to a high operating cost. Various active and passive devices are being widely used for flow control in trucks, but comparative studies of these devices are poorly done. This research compares three different passive retrofits – deflector, flaps, and angular boat tails in which flaps of rectangular, elliptical and tapered shapes are also investigated. In this study, a baseline model of Isuzu’s FRR series truck is made and the drag reduction after fitting the proposed passive devices are measured and analysed. This is done through two and three-dimensional simulations in ANSYS solvers. After analysing the results from these simulations, rectangular flap was identified to be reducing the drag maximum and the corresponding optimal angle of mounting flap was determined as 250. This rectangular flap with dimensions 2500x360 mm2 gave a drag reduction of 33%. Other flap shapes and angular boat tails were also observed to reduce that drag up to 30% approximately. The velocity streamlines and vector plots of various simulations are also included in the dissertation.
|
Statistics for this ePrint Item |
| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Coursework Masters) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address. |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - No Department (1 Jul 2013 -) |
| Supervisors: | Mossad, Ruth; Purcival, Norman |
| Qualification: | Master of Engineering Sciences (Mechanical Engineering) |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Jul 2026 04:25 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Jul 2026 04:25 |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53224 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Archive Repository Staff Only |
