Project outline
The increasing focus on road vehicle efficiency will drive the development of new aerodynamic vehicle shapes, specifically electric cars. Understanding the impact that these future low drag road vehicle shapes have on aeroacoustic noise generation is critical to 1) increasing levels of vehicle refinement in an increasingly competitive sector, and 2) understanding noise pollution from such vehicles which is a core theme of the Sound Futures CDT program.
Using a combination of experimental and computational approaches, the project will investigate the impact of lower drag road vehicle shapes on aeroacoustic noise generation, including technologies that are opened-up because of the use of electric power, such as smooth underfloors, automated driving sensors and active aerodynamic devices. The research outcomes will also help inform policy making by incorporating the effects of new vehicle technologies into the broader soundscape and their impact on society. Experimental wind tunnel experiments will be performed using the University of Bristol’s new Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel. These will be complemented by Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations to perform detailed analysis and design of future electric cars. This project is supported by (Jaguar Land Rover).
Project Partners
This project is hosted at the University of Bristol and supported by Jaguar Land Rover.
Student
Lucas Lee Zheng Xi