Guglielmo Minelli

This paper explores active wake-flow control on a notchback Ahmed body using genetically inspired optimization. Hotwire and particle image velocimetry measurements record velocity data and flow structures in the wake. Pulsed jets at four actuation slots (two at the roof trailing edge, two at the side trailing edges) dynamically control the wake to minimize aerodynamic drag. The study achieves up to 9.2 % (without consideration of energy consumption) drag reduction, primarily by manipulating vortices from the roof rear end. The paper elucidates the underlying flow mechanism and evaluates various actuation strategies, highlighting how optimal control leads to reattachment of wake separation at the rear slant, diminishing the slant bubble and promoting downstream reattachment for enhanced drag reduction.

This experimental work is conducted to manipulate the wake to reduce aerodynamic drag using the actuations on the trailing edges of a bluff body at a yaw angle of 10°. Two loudspeakers are separately installed into the vertical trailing edges of the vertical base, creating a zero-net mass-flux jet through vertical slots. A maximum drag reduction of 2% and 1.5% is produced by the single actuation on the windward and leeward side, respectively. When the genetic algorithm is introduced to optimize the actuations on both sides, a drag reduction of 7% is obtained. Thus, the energy efficiency of the entire control system is greatly improved by 80% compared to the best single actuation. The underlying flow mechanism behind the effective parameters is proposed according to the analyses of the drag spectra and the hot-wire data measured with and without control. The genetic algorithm provides a promising optimization strategy for the better control performance of trailing edge actuation on a yawed bluff body. Furthermore, this strategy may have the engineering potential to reduce the drag of ground transport vehicles for a large range of operating conditions. Therefore, this research is expected to save energy consumption and improve traveling safety for the aerodynamic control of vehicles.

Large eddy simulations are used to explore the influence of floor motions on asymmetric flows around a notchback bluff body. The focus of this study is on the aerodynamic forces and the extent of natural wake asymmetry presented under moving and stationary ground conditions. The different ground condition has a notable influence on the aerodynamic force and the surrounding pressure distribution of the body. On the other hand, the wake asymmetry, known to be a sensitive phenomenon, is not evidently affected by the floor motion. However, quantitative analysis of the averaged and the statistic flow still suggests slight differences in the degree of wake asymmetry between the two ground conditions. Modal analysis applying proper orthogonal decomposition confirms that the asymmetric wake dynamics and the wake shedding frequency are not sensitive to the floor motion. The accuracy of the numerical simulation is established by a grid-independence study.

The control of bluff-body wakes for reduced drag and enhanced stability has traditionally relied on the so-called direct-wake control approach. By the use of actuators or passive devices, one can manipulate the aerodynamic loads that act on the rear of the model. An alternative approach for the manipulation of the flow is to move the position of the actuator upstream, hence interacting with an easier-to-manipulate boundary layer. The present paper comprises a bluff-body flow study via large-eddy simulations to investigate the effectiveness of an upstream actuator (positioned at the leading edge) with regard to the manipulation of the wake dynamics and its aerodynamic loads. A rectangular cylinder with rounded leading edges, equipped with actuators positioned at the front curvatures, is simulated at . A genetic algorithm (GA) optimization is performed to find an effective actuation that minimizes drag. It is shown that the GA selects superharmonic frequencies of the natural vortex shedding. Hence, the induced disturbances, penetrating downstream in the wake, significantly reduce drag and lateral instability. A comparison with a side-recirculation-suppression approach is also presented, the latter case being worse in terms of reduced drag (only 8 % drag reduction achieved), despite the total suppression of the side recirculation bubble. In contrast, the GA optimized case contributes to a 20 % drag reduction with respect to the unactuated case. In addition, the large drag reduction is associated with a reduced shedding motion and an improved lateral stability.