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The Influence of Automobile Shapes on Safety Driving at Accidental Crosswind and Passing Situation
paris98/f98t656

Authors

Kenji Okumura - Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.

Abstract

With the 21st century drawing near, the appearance of a new generation of compact cars that are considerably more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly is eagerly awaited. At the same time, car users are increasingly exacting with regard to the safety and comfort of their vehicles. From compact-car users, in particular, strong demands for high-speed safety and all-round comfort are heard since they frequently and repeatedly use their vehicles for city center as well as suburban driving. In order to improve the high-speed safety and comfort of automobiles in general, we have focused our attention on the behavior that a vehicle exhibits when it is subject to a gust of wind or when overtaken by another while driving at high-speed. In this endeavor, we began by developing an unsteady aerodynamic analysis method. We then used this method to assign the aerodynamic forces acting on the vehicle body in a vehicular movement analysis in order to analyze how the vehicle "staggers" at high-speed. Finally, we analyzed how the vehicular shape affects the vehicle's behavior.

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