Author: Dr. P. Vinod Kumar Naidu, V. Jyothsna Praveen, B. Manikanta, K. Vivek Kumar, A. Rakesh Babu
Doi: https://jmeb.2026.v11.i01.pp1-13
Abstract:
Aerodynamic drag and lift play a critical role in determining the fuel efficiency, stability, and overall performance of road vehicles. With increasing fuel consumption and stricter emission norms, the reduction of aerodynamic drag has become a key objective in vehicle design. This study presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of external flow over a road vehicle to evaluate aerodynamic drag and lift characteristics. The investigation focuses on the influence of vehicle geometry, flow separation, wake formation, engine cooling drag, wheel rotation, and crosswind effects. A three-dimensional steady-state Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) approach is adopted using suitable turbulence models. The numerical results provide insight into pressure distribution, velocity vectors, wake structure, and aerodynamic coefficients. The study demonstrates that streamlined rear-end geometry significantly reduces pressure drag and improves aerodynamic performance. The find
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