Scope

Aerovehicles 4 is meant as a place where engineers and researchers can exchange their ideas in ground vehicle aerodynamics. It is a forum for engineers and scientists from both, industry (manufacturers and operators of road vehicles and trains) and universities to present and discuss recent advances in the field of vehicle aerodynamics.

Aerodynamic characteristics of ground vehicles are responsible for the whole spectrum of properties from energy efficiency linked to aerodynamic drag and safety to environmental influence of vehicles on their surroundings including air pollution and noise. Prediction of aerodynamic properties of ground vehicles is a complicated task and both numerical and experimental techniques are required for accurate predictions and understanding of the flow behavior. The aerodynamics of road vehicles and trains has many resemblances and similar experimental and numerical tools can be used for their improvement. The reduction of vehicle drag is a key motor for improvement of numerical and experimental tools.

However, there are many other aerodynamic aspects such as crosswind stability, unsteadiness from passages of tunnels, platforms or other vehicles, ballast projection for high-speed trains, aero acoustics and soiling which require new improved approaches in flow predictions. Advancements in both experimental and numerical techniques has occurred in recent years. More advanced facilities and experimental techniques have been developed on the experimental side. Introduction of time-dependent simulations is the most important improvement in the numerical vehicle aerodynamics. Furthermore, both approaches are today used in development of techniques for improvement of vehicle properties by flow control or aerodynamic shape optimization.

The abstracts are invited within following subjects:

- Time-dependent simulations of vehicle flows (DNS, LES, URANS and related techniques)

- Novel experimental techniques applied in vehicle aerodynamics

- Flow control applied to road vehicles and trains

- Aerodynamic shape optimization of vehicles

- Predictions of rapid changes in vehicle flow including wind-gust effects, overtaking, passage of other vehicles vehicle or infrastructure etc.

-Artificial intelligence (deep/machine learning) for ground vehicle aerodynamics

-Vehicle soiling, rain water management

- Numerical and experimental explorations of new techniques for drag reduction such as platooning (traveling in convoys)