High Speed Data Acquisition for Transient Aerodynamics

This project aims to use cutting edge data acquisition technology to evaluate the transient aerodynamic response of automotive vehicles. Most automotive wind tunnels sample at relatively low frequencies and then average the data to give repeatable results. The new system is designed to provide transient output of the force data at high frequencies, in excess of 200Hz, giving much more information about the aerodynamic behaviour of the vehicle. Insight into the mechanisms at work will be provided by the latest Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques which provide detailed, time-dependent predictions of the airflow around a vehicle. A combination of the two techniques has the potential to deliver drag (and hence emissions) and stability benefits to the automotive industry the same techniques can be applied to the building and aerospace industries.