A comparison of different methods to evaluate the wind induced forces on a high sided lorry

This paper examines the wind induced forces and moments experienced by a high sided lorry. Full-scale measurements are combined with wind tunnel and CFD simulations in order to gain an insight into the flow field around the vehicle. Differences and similarities between the three techniques are noted. It is shown that the rolling moment coefficient obtained from full-scale measurements and CFD simulations agree consistently across a wide range of yaw angles. With respect to the side force coefficient, good agreement between the wind tunnel and full-scale data are achieved. Pressure distributions over selected sections of the lorry reveal that despite good agreement with the overall forces, the localised pressure field can be significantly different. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.