Aerodynamic Characterisation of a Compact Car Driving Behind a Heavy Vehicle

The transient incoming flow a compact car experiences whilst driving 10 m – 100 m behind a heavy vehicle on a runway has been characterised. The incoming flow was measured using a 2D array of 11 five-hole probes mounted 1 m in front of an operational, full-scale compact car. Additionally, 188 surface pressure taps were used to measure the effect of the incoming flow conditions on the compact car. The experiments were performed under ideal conditions on a 2.9 km long runway in Fasberg near the DLR in Trauen, Germany.