Date of Award

9-26-2019

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.Sc.

Department

Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering

Keywords

Aerodynamic effects, Half car model, Multibody dynamics, Ride quality, Vehicle dynamics

Supervisor

Minaker, B.

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

In vehicle motion analysis, it is often of interest to predict the aerodynamic load and moment acting on the vehicle body, typically with the intention of maximizing tire grip through downward force generated by wings and other aerodynamic devices. This project is not focused on maximizing downward force generated but rather recognizes that an attached wing itself may change the dynamic properties of the vehicle, similarly to the way in which the variation of the wing configuration can lead to changes in the eigenvalues, natural frequencies, and the dynamic modes of an aircraft. To explore this idea further, a multibody method incorporating aerodynamics effects has been developed. An attached wing system is applied on the multibody mechanical system, which generate forces and moments on the various individual bodies. The force and moment coefficient of the wing is a 6x6 matrix, which is perfectly suitable for incorporation into the equation of motion for multibody dynamics as an additional damping term. A vehicle model with variable wing geometry has been proposed, and a number of numerical tests have been conducted to explore its behaviour. Wing orientation and a wing sensitivity are explored during tests, making sure the system is operating within an effective but stable range. Effects from unsprung mass distribution and varying velocity are evaluated.

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