A CFD study of the aerodynamic characteristics of a DrivAer fastback model

This study focuses on improving the aerodynamic performance of a passenger vehicle by incorporating an aerodynamic add-on device. Specifically, a cambered rear wing based on the NACA 8612 airfoil is mounted at the rear of the DrivAer fastback model to enhance its aerodynamic characteristics. Then, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is employed to investigate the fluid dynamic behavior and evaluate the aerodynamic performance improvements resulting from the rear wing installation. The analysis also examines the effects of operational conditions and wing configuration parameters, such as freestream velocities, mounting heights, and angles, on the drag and lift coefficients. Numerical simulation results reveal that applying a rear wing with a configuration of a/b = 0.8 and α = 5° at a vehicle speed of 30 m/s leads to a significant improvement in aerodynamic stability compared to the original model, as evidenced by the reduction in the lift area coefficient from 0.291 to -0.124, at the cost of a slight drag area coefficient increase from 0.503 to 0.515. Overall, the findings in this study aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of how aerodynamic add-on devices influence a vehicle’s aerodynamic performance. In particular, the analysis of various wing configuration parameters offers valuable insights for the development of active aerodynamic control systems, particularly in designing effective control strategies.