Next-generation Simulation of Road Vehicle Aerodynamics Using Petascale Computers

Abstract

  Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has achieved rapid development in aspects of software and hardware. Then, the CFD becomes an alternate tool of a wind-tunnel experiment in a development process of road vehicle aerodynamics. However, the development process is still similar to the past. Therefore, toward an innovation of the process, our research group is developing a new development and design system of road vehicle aerodynamics based on unsteady and three-dimensional turbulent field simulation.
   Here, we show two cases of unsteady aerodynamics simulations using a next-generation aerodynamics simulator of road vehicles, which is a basis of the new development system. One application is understand of physical mechanism that causes an aerodynamic damping acting on a pitching road vehicle. The other is a coupled simulation of aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics in a gusty crosswind situation. Additionally, concept, target, and key problem of the new development and design system running on petascale computers, such as “K”, are mentioned.