Program Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Mohammad Amjadi
Document Type
Poster
Location
Face-to-face
Start Date
25-4-2023 10:15 AM
Abstract
As the pickup truck continuously becomes more popular in both commercial and family applications, the fuel efficiency of modern pickup design should be brought into question. According to CBS News, pickup trucks accounted for around 20% of all new vehicles sold in America in 2022, with the three most popular vehicles sold during the year all being pickups. However, these vehicles consistently have higher drag coefficients than other types of vehicles, namely sedans or crossovers. This leads to decreased fuel economy and more overall greenhouse gas emissions. Even in the case of an electric pickup truck, the high drag coefficient may lead to decreased range when compared to other electric vehicles. It has long been known that this inherent lack of aerodynamic efficiency is largely caused by the bed of the pickup truck, which tends to create a large low-pressure pocket of air, leading to increased drag. This has caused many manufacturers to design solutions such as the tonneau cover and the camper shell. While these designs are good for utility, they leave room for improvement in aerodynamics. This project aims to further research on a lesser-known bed cover for pickups: the aerocap. A design will be proposed and tested using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), a scale model in a wind tunnel, and a full scale model. The proposed design will increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the truck in question while also not compromising the utility of the truck.
Keywords: Fuel Efficiency, Drag Coefficient, Aerodynamic Efficiency, Aerocap
Recommended Citation
Tucker, Andrew J. and Silk, David, "The Aerocap Aerodynamic Attachment for Pickup Trucks" (2023). ATU Research Symposium. 32.
https://orc.library.atu.edu/atu_rs/2023/2023/32
The Aerocap Aerodynamic Attachment for Pickup Trucks
Face-to-face
As the pickup truck continuously becomes more popular in both commercial and family applications, the fuel efficiency of modern pickup design should be brought into question. According to CBS News, pickup trucks accounted for around 20% of all new vehicles sold in America in 2022, with the three most popular vehicles sold during the year all being pickups. However, these vehicles consistently have higher drag coefficients than other types of vehicles, namely sedans or crossovers. This leads to decreased fuel economy and more overall greenhouse gas emissions. Even in the case of an electric pickup truck, the high drag coefficient may lead to decreased range when compared to other electric vehicles. It has long been known that this inherent lack of aerodynamic efficiency is largely caused by the bed of the pickup truck, which tends to create a large low-pressure pocket of air, leading to increased drag. This has caused many manufacturers to design solutions such as the tonneau cover and the camper shell. While these designs are good for utility, they leave room for improvement in aerodynamics. This project aims to further research on a lesser-known bed cover for pickups: the aerocap. A design will be proposed and tested using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), a scale model in a wind tunnel, and a full scale model. The proposed design will increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the truck in question while also not compromising the utility of the truck.
Keywords: Fuel Efficiency, Drag Coefficient, Aerodynamic Efficiency, Aerocap