SCOPE

Aerovehicles 6 is meant as a place where engineers and researchers can exchange their ideas and progress in ground vehicle aerodynamics. It is a forum for engineers and scientists from both industry (manufacturers and operators of road vehicles and trains) and universities to present and discuss recent advances and latest methodologies in the field of vehicle aerodynamics and identify research needs concerning: physical modelling; numerical predictions; experimental approaches and analysis of huge data fields.

Aerodynamic characteristics of ground vehicles have a key role for a large spectrum of performances including energy efficiency linked to aerodynamic drag; safety of passengers and environmental impact associated to air pollution and noise. In the current context of global climate changes, one of the main objectives and challenges regarding the conception of new ground vehicles is to reduce their aerodynamic drag. This allows for limiting greenhouse gases and pollutants emissions to overcome ever more stringent regulations, or for increasing the range of electric vehicles. For example, new regulations promote research to quantify – and of course reduce – emissions for real driving conditions. For automotive industry, challenges related to drag reduction are reinforced by the financial penalties that the manufacturers will soon have to pay if the emissions limit is overcome, and the customers’ attraction for specific types of vehicles. Moreover, a huge number of constraints must be fulfilled (e.g. design, engine cooling, brakes cooling, aerodynamic appendices, regulations …) during the design process.

This is also reflected in the railway sector, with customers now demanding energy usage across the life of rolling stock to be calculated at the design phase. Furthermore, the advancement of locomotive traction capabilities is opening up new markets for typical highly bluff freight vehicles, which has in turn created a need for researchers to fully explore the implications of increased rail vehicle speeds, not only in relation not the trains themselves, but also the impact that these vehicles have on the environment and infrastructure through which they pass.  

Prediction of aerodynamic properties of ground vehicles is a complicated task. Both numerical and experimental techniques are required for accurate predictions and understanding of the flow behaviour and noise emissions. The aerodynamics of road vehicles and trains has many resemblances and similar experimental and numerical tools can be used for their improvement.

The reduction of vehicle drag during real driving conditions is a key motor for improvement of numerical and experimental tools. However, there are many other aerodynamic aspects such as crosswind stability, unsteadiness from passages of tunnels, platforms or other vehicles, ballast projection for high-speed trains, aero acoustics and soiling which require new improved approaches in flow predictions and understanding. Advancements in both experimental and numerical techniques have occurred in recent years. More advanced facilities and experimental techniques have been developed on the experimental side. Introduction of time-dependent simulations is the most important improvement in the numerical vehicle aerodynamics. Furthermore, both approaches are today combined in development of techniques for improvement of vehicle properties by flow control or aerodynamic shape optimisation.

The abstracts are invited within following subjects:

- Time-dependent simulations of vehicle flows and related noise emissions (DNS, LES, DDES, URANS and related techniques)

- Novel experimental techniques applied in vehicle aerodynamics and aero-acoustics

- Flow control applied to road vehicles and trains

- Aerodynamic shape optimisation of vehicles

- Predictions of rapid changes in vehicle flow including wind-gust effects, overtaking, passage of other vehicles vehicle or infrastructure etc.

- Artificial intelligence (deep/machine learning) for ground vehicle aerodynamics

- Vehicle soiling, rainwater management

- Numerical and experimental explorations of new techniques for drag reduction such as platooning (travelling in convoys)