A study on improving dynamic characteristics of a front lower suspension arm and aerodynamic effects of a hand-made hybrid vehicle

The current study aims to improve dynamic characteristics of a front lower suspension arm and aerodynamic effects of a hand-made hybrid vehicle designed by the students in Seoul National University of Science and Technology. First, structural analysis and fatigue life prediction of an original front lower suspension arm were conducted through a finite element method (FEM); second, the original model was redesigned through two different methods to reach expected safety factor and fatigue life values. Finally, on comparison of the two methods, the one that reached the expected values with less weight was selected. The aerodynamic effects of a handmade hybrid vehicle were investigated using wind tunnel simulations through computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this study, by solving Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, a modified k- (k?epsilon) turbulence model was used to simulate a turbulent flow over the vehicle. An original body was redesigned to improve the aerodynamics characteristics of the vehicle by decreasing its drag coefficient. A rear spoiler diminished the drag and lift coefficients of the handmade hybrid vehicle when it was installed at an appropriate height. The shear flow and the tip vortex from the rear spoiler made the flow over the handmade vehicle relatively uniform.