Unsteady aerodynamics of an oscillating fastback model

This paper investigates the surface pressures found on the sides of a Davis model under steady state conditions and during yawed oscillations at a reduced frequency which would generally be assumed to give a quasi-static response. The surface pressures are used to investigate the flow field and integrated to infer aerodynamic loads. The results show hysteresis in the oscillating model's results, most strongly in the A-pillar flows. The changes to the oscillating model's flow field reduces the intensity of the surface pressures around the rear pillars, reduce the strength and extent of the A-pillar vortex and cause the surface pressures to couple with the oscillating motion. This work shows the flows around the front of a vehicle may be more important to a vehicle's unsteady aerodynamics than is generally accepted and also leads to the conclusions that the reduced frequency parameter may not fully describe the onset unsteadiness. © 2013 SAE International.