A Design of Experiments Approach to Visor Drag Reduction on Heavy Vehicles Using Wind Tunnel Testing
Date of Award
Summer 2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Program/Concentration
Aerospace Engineering
Committee Director
Drew Landman
Committee Member
Robert L. Ash
Committee Member
Colin P. Britcher
Call Number for Print
Special Collections; LD4331.E56 G65 2012
Abstract
Drag reduction on a scale wind tunnel model of a tractor and partial trailer was used as a case study to investigate the use of Designed Experiments. Specifically, the drag reduction benefits of replacing a tractor sunvisor with an airfoil shaped sunvisor were investigated. The airfoil-shaped sunvisor was theorized to generate thrust in the direction of travel thus reducing the net drag force. The drag force was measured using a load cell integrated into the tractor-trailer model. The experimental factors were the angle of attack, the horizontal position relative to the surface of the tractor body, the yaw angle and the wind tunnel velocity. The airfoil sunvisor orientation was optimized using an experimental design known as a Nested Face Centered Design. The optimal sunvisor airfoil was then compared to a generic sunvisor using a simple two-sample t-test. The experimental method proved to be an efficient, robust and defensible method for device optimization and comparison. The overall test results proved that the airfoil sunvisor hail no drag reduction benefit when compared to the generic sunvisor.
Rights
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DOI
10.25777/a54c-vj59
Recommended Citation
Golembeski, Adam.
"A Design of Experiments Approach to Visor Drag Reduction on Heavy Vehicles Using Wind Tunnel Testing"
(2012). Master of Science (MS), Thesis, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/a54c-vj59
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/mae_etds/498