Aerodynamic test with self-propelled scale model

Abstract

This research presents a new experimental technique for the testing prototypes of aerodynamic devices of heavy freight vehicles. This technique allows the evaluation and recording of aerodynamic variables, being an alternative to the experimental limitations present in a wind tunnel, or the complexity and costs associated to the real-scale experimental test. For this new methodology a radio-controlled reduced-scale model is used, equipped with different instruments for recording aerodynamic variables. The experiment was performed at the runway in the Chilean Air Force Base in Santiago, at a speed of 90 [km/hr]. The results demonstrate that this technique allows recreating more realistic conditions of the aerodynamic phenomena, obtaining reliable values for the aerodynamic drag, at a low cost.