Shape influence on mean forces applied on a ground vehicle under steady cross-wind

In this paper the flow around a vehicle under constant cross-wind is studied. The influence of shape changes on aerodynamic forces and moments as well as on flow structures is studied experimentally in a wind-tunnel. Tests are run at a flow velocity of 40 m/s on a 1/5th model of a mini-van type vehicle, which is yawed to an angle of − 30 ∘ . It is shown that small variations of the A-pillar radius have an important effect on the side-force and yawing moment. A link is made to the A-pillar vortex and its changes in intensity. e of wind-tunnels represents a quite high budget in aerodynamic development. It is therefore quite important to limit the use of sophisticated measurement techniques to a strict minimum. In this context, the PIV-plane position proposed in this paper yields useful additional information to analyse the impact of form changes for example on cars under side-wind influence.