An examination of vehicle spacing to reduce aerodynamic drag in truck platoons

Vasudev Vohra; Mohamed Wahba; Gökhan Akarslan; Rui Ni; Sean Brennan

doi:10.1109/VPPC.2018.8604977

An examination of vehicle spacing to reduce aerodynamic drag in truck platoons

Vasudev Vohra, Mohamed Wahba, Gökhan Akarslan, Rui Ni, Sean Brennan

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Aerodynamic drag is a significant source of energy dissipation in tractor-trailers, accounting for as much as 20% of energy lost at high speeds. Despite a growing interest in automation techniques, few studies exist on truck platoons with a focus on inter-vehicle spacing. In this work, experiments are conducted to estimate the drag coefficient of 2- and 3-member platoon combinations of medium-duty Volvo VNL-300 day-cab trucks. The relative drag of the leading, middle and trailing trucks is compared by recording the axial drag forces on 1/64 scale models in a wind tunnel. The average drag coefficient ratio shows us that drag-reductions of around 36% are possible at inter-vehicle spacing distances of 3m for full-scale 2-truck platoons with each tractor-trailer combination including a scale-similar 53-ft wedge trailer.

Original language	English (US)
Title of host publication	2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)	9781538662038
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/VPPC.2018.8604977
State	Published - Jul 2 2018
Event	15th IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Chicago, United States Duration: Aug 27 2018 → Aug 30 2018

Publication series

Name	2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings

Conference

Conference	15th IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018
Country/Territory	United States
City	Chicago
Period	8/27/18 → 8/30/18

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Mechanical Engineering
Control and Optimization
Modeling and Simulation
Transportation
Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Automotive Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Access to Document

10.1109/VPPC.2018.8604977

Cite this

Vohra, V., Wahba, M., Akarslan, G., Ni, R., & Brennan, S. (2018). An examination of vehicle spacing to reduce aerodynamic drag in truck platoons. In 2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings Article 8604977 (2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. https://doi.org/10.1109/VPPC.2018.8604977

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Vohra, V, Wahba, M, Akarslan, G, Ni, R & Brennan, S 2018, An examination of vehicle spacing to reduce aerodynamic drag in truck platoons. in 2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings., 8604977, 2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 15th IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018, Chicago, United States, 8/27/18. https://doi.org/10.1109/VPPC.2018.8604977

An examination of vehicle spacing to reduce aerodynamic drag in truck platoons. / Vohra, Vasudev; Wahba, Mohamed; Akarslan, Gökhan et al.
2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2018. 8604977 (2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

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AB - Aerodynamic drag is a significant source of energy dissipation in tractor-trailers, accounting for as much as 20% of energy lost at high speeds. Despite a growing interest in automation techniques, few studies exist on truck platoons with a focus on inter-vehicle spacing. In this work, experiments are conducted to estimate the drag coefficient of 2- and 3-member platoon combinations of medium-duty Volvo VNL-300 day-cab trucks. The relative drag of the leading, middle and trailing trucks is compared by recording the axial drag forces on 1/64 scale models in a wind tunnel. The average drag coefficient ratio shows us that drag-reductions of around 36% are possible at inter-vehicle spacing distances of 3m for full-scale 2-truck platoons with each tractor-trailer combination including a scale-similar 53-ft wedge trailer.

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Vohra V, Wahba M, Akarslan G, Ni R, Brennan S. An examination of vehicle spacing to reduce aerodynamic drag in truck platoons. In 2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. 2018. 8604977. (2018 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, VPPC 2018 - Proceedings). doi: 10.1109/VPPC.2018.8604977

An examination of vehicle spacing to reduce aerodynamic drag in truck platoons

Abstract

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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

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