Influence of Front and Rear Bevels on Automotive Aerodynamic Characteristics

Aerodynamic characteristics play a significant role in the design and manufacturing of vehicles, particularly cars. Achieving high-performance, fuel efficiency, and eco-friendly models requires careful optimization of the vehicle body’s design to ensure both pleasing aesthetics and desirable aerodynamic features. This study uses design and calculation software to study the influence of the front and rear bevels of the chassis on its aerodynamic characteristics. The calculation results show that, if only the front and rear bevels are created, the drag coefficient and the lift coefficient of the vehicle have opposite changes, which are not aerodynamically beneficial. However, when creating bevels on both the front and rear chassis, the aerodynamic characteristics change in a more stable and beneficial direction. Specifically, when the front and rear bevels are maintained from 15° or more up to 30°, the coefficient of drag and the coefficient of lift are quite stable and the value of the coefficient of drag is lower than when there is no bevel or bevel less than 15°. This numerical model is made by ANSYS software and has been verified through the test problem. Therefore, the calculated results are highly reliable. This is useful reference information in the research and manufacture of road vehicles optimized for aerodynamic design.