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Old 11-26-2020, 04:20 PM   #2 (permalink)
JulianEdgar
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I just skimmed the video (F1 car aero is basically irrelevant to road cars) and it appeared that he was talking only about reducing vortex strength of very high downforce wings - not really relevant to road cars.

Rob Palin (ex Tesla lead aerodynamcist) told me about reducing the pressure difference as the air separates to reduce vortex strength, and in fact I did some experiments on my Insight sides along these lines - but they didn't work in reducing drag.

I've tried measuring vortices on the road by using tufts on short rods, but it didn't work. However, Dick Barnard (the aerodynamicist I wrote my big book with) talked about showing his university students the trailing vortices off models in the wind tunnel by using a long rod and a single tuft.

Since the only relevance of vortices to road car drag / lift is the pressure exerted by the vortices on the body panels, I am hoping that the high-speed logger that I have on loan, working with 16 surface pressure pucks, will be able to show the action of vortices eg on the A-pillar / side glass, and on the inclined rear pillars. I'd expect these pressures to rapidly oscillate as the vortices are shed - something a Magnehelic gauge / digital manometer wouldn't show.

I've previously thought of using a paddle type rotating anemometer on a long pole to show rotational speed and direction of trailing vortices. I have bought the anemometer head but not done anything further at this stage.

The whole area of trailing vortices on different body shape cars is very complex. Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles (5th edition) has a lot more on it than earlier editions of the book, but to be honest I've not really absorbed everything in this book yet.
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