Karafan Journal

Karafan Journal

Experimental Investigations of the Effect of Car Windows Down on the Drag Coefficient and Fuel Consumption on a Sedan Car Model

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Ferydoon Mohammadi
Academic Staff, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical and Vocational University (TVU), Tehran, Iran.
10.48301/kssa.2024.420719.2733
Abstract
Different types of aerodynamic forces such as drag, lift, and side forces are induced in a car. Reducing drag force is necessary to improve fuel consumption and driving characteristics. The compressor of the car cooler is connected to the car engine through a belt and takes part of the power of the car engine and increases fuel consumption. Some drivers, particularly public transport drivers, turn down car windows to varying degrees instead of turning on the car cooler which increases drag coefficient and fuel consumption. In the present article, to experimentally investigate the effect of low car windows on the drag coefficient and fuel consumption, the drag coefficient of five different modes of a sedan car (1- All windows are closed; 2- All windows are open 3- The windows of the two front doors are open and the windows of the two rear doors are closed 4- Half-open windows of the two front doors and closed windows of the two rear doors 5- All the windows are half open) was measured in a subsonic wind tunnel. Because the drag coefficient is a dimensionless number, to reduce the testing costs, a scaled-down model of the car with a scale of 1:30 was used. By comparing model 2 to model 1, the drag coefficient increased by 43%. By comparing models 3, 4 and 5 to model 1, the drag coefficient increased by 30%.
Keywords
Drag Coefficient
Car Door Glass
Fuel Consumption
Wind Tunnel
Car Cooler
Subjects
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Karafan Journal
Volume 21, Issue 3
Technical and Engineering
Autumn 2024
Pages 169-182

  • Receive Date 26 October 2023
  • Revise Date 18 March 2024
  • Accept Date 02 June 2024