Measurements were made of the base pressure distribution and the aerodynamic drag of a variety of 1/8th-scale tractor-trailer truck models in a wind tunnel at yaw angles ranging from 0° to 20°. Base-drag coefficients and overall aerodynamic-drag coefficients were calculated from this data. The measurements show that the base-drag coefficient of typical tractor-trailer trucks does not vary much with vehicle configuration, and that base drag constitutes approximately 13 to 15 percent of the total aerodynamic drag at zero yaw. The base drag increases in magnitude and also becomes a larger part of the overall aerodynamic drag as yaw angle increases, reaching about 18 to 25 percent of the overall drag at 20° yaw. Streamlining the forebody of the vehicle has little effect on the base-drag coefficient, but increases the fraction of the overall aerodynamic drag due to the base.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
December 1978
Research Papers
A Study of the Base Drag of Tractor-Trailer Trucks
C. H. Marks,
C. H. Marks
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
Search for other works by this author on:
F. T. Buckley, Jr.,
F. T. Buckley, Jr.
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
Search for other works by this author on:
W. H. Walston, Jr.
W. H. Walston, Jr.
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
Search for other works by this author on:
C. H. Marks
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
F. T. Buckley, Jr.
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
W. H. Walston, Jr.
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
J. Fluids Eng. Dec 1978, 100(4): 443-448 (6 pages)
Published Online: December 1, 1978
Article history
Received:
January 18, 1977
Online:
October 12, 2010
Citation
Marks, C. H., Buckley, F. T., Jr., and Walston, W. H., Jr. (December 1, 1978). "A Study of the Base Drag of Tractor-Trailer Trucks." ASME. J. Fluids Eng. December 1978; 100(4): 443–448. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3448705
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
Large Eddy Simulation of Separated Flows on Unconventionally Coarse Grids
J. Fluids Eng (September 2024)
Related Articles
A Wind-Tunnel Study of the Effect of Gap Flow and Gap Seals on the Aerodynamic Drag of Tractor-Trailer Trucks
J. Fluids Eng (December,1978)
Aerodynamic Effects of Shape, Camber, Pitch, and Ground Proximity on Idealized Ground-Vehicle Bodies
J. Fluids Eng (December,1981)
Aerodynamic Forces on Multiple Unit Trains in Cross Winds
J. Fluids Eng (October,2009)
Joint Computational/Experimental Aerodynamic Study of a Simplified Tractor/Trailer Geometry
J. Fluids Eng (August,2009)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Intuitive Optimization
Engineering Optimization: Applications, Methods, and Analysis
Practical Applications
Robust Control: Youla Parameterization Approach
Speed and Power Models
Design of Human Powered Vehicles