What is it about?
In use, cars get wet and dirty. This review paper looks at why this is important, how this happens, what engineers can do to assess this and some hints as to what might be done about it. In particular, it explores the different effects of rain and road spray and how test tracks, wind tunnels and computer-simulation can be used to study effects on drivers' vision, vehicle visibility, system performance and aesthetics.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
As we add sensor systems to vehicles and customer expectations increase, it is vital that the accumulation of water and dirt at key locations on vehicles are minimised . This is the most comprehensive review of the topic to date, covering effects across the whole vehicle, along with test and simulation methods. Hence, it provides automotive aerodynamicists with both an overall view of the topic and a perspective of the current state of the art for both experimental and numerical investigative approaches. In doing so, it provides a clear taxonomy for the subject, categorising "Exterior Water Management" and "Soiling" as constituent parts of the discipline of Surface Contamination.
Perspectives
This topic has a history which goes back to the early days of motor vehicle design. After the 1960s it has been a relatively quiet area of endeavour, with vehicle manufacturers largely focused on wind screen and side glass water management. The advent of cameras for rear vision during reversing has focused minds on the implications of rear surface soiling. As we move towards autonomous vehicles and increase both the number of sensors and the importance of their function, this topic is becoming increasingly important. Hence, I felt that it was a good time to publish a broad, comprehensive review to summarise what has been done, what investigative approaches are available and where they might be improved.
Dr Adrian P Gaylard
University of Warwick
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Surface contamination of cars: A review, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part D Journal of Automobile Engineering, April 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0954407017695141.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
