Tracking The Way Forword
Air is not the only medium encountered by a vehicle on the road. Vehicles must be designed to handle the sometimes harsh natural conditions found on the road, where water, snow, ice, dirt, rocks, and other particles of debris are kicked up off the road by tires or wind, or are present due to weather conditions. The small size of these particles dictates that they will be strongly influenced by vehicle aerodynamics. The exterior airflow around a moving vehicle drives the motion of particles around the vehicle until they hit the surface or are ingested into an intake or other opening. Many critical safety, performance and quality features of the vehicle are determined by how the airflow manages these particles.
Road Sprays: For solid particles like dirt and rocks, you must manage the impact of these particles on the vehicle to avoid damage to the vehicle finish and components, while keeping passenger glass, exterior mirrors, exterior cameras, and lights all as clear of material as possible. The regions around the wheels are designed to control the path of road spray water droplets carrying dirt, to reduce dirt deposition in critical areas on the vehicle body.
Wheels and Brakes: For the wheels and brakes, the brake disk surfaces should be kept clear of dirt and water. In addition, tiny brake dust particles are created during use of the brakes, and can create unsightly deposition patterns on the wheel rims. To alleviate these problems, you can use the wheel rim shape, splash shields, and airflow guides to help control particle deposition.
Snow Accumulation: When driving in snow conditions, the accumulation of snow particles is determined to a large degree by the vehicle aerodynamics. Flow disruptions like small separations can enable particles to accumulate in certain regions, which can then block air intakes, block visibility of the glass or exterior mirrors, cover vehicle exterior lamps, or affect windshield wiper performance. You can adjust the vehicle shape to smooth these flow disruptions and discourage snow accumulation.
Road Sprays: For solid particles like dirt and rocks, you must manage the impact of these particles on the vehicle to avoid damage to the vehicle finish and components, while keeping passenger glass, exterior mirrors, exterior cameras, and lights all as clear of material as possible. The regions around the wheels are designed to control the path of road spray water droplets carrying dirt, to reduce dirt deposition in critical areas on the vehicle body.
Wheels and Brakes: For the wheels and brakes, the brake disk surfaces should be kept clear of dirt and water. In addition, tiny brake dust particles are created during use of the brakes, and can create unsightly deposition patterns on the wheel rims. To alleviate these problems, you can use the wheel rim shape, splash shields, and airflow guides to help control particle deposition.
Snow Accumulation: When driving in snow conditions, the accumulation of snow particles is determined to a large degree by the vehicle aerodynamics. Flow disruptions like small separations can enable particles to accumulate in certain regions, which can then block air intakes, block visibility of the glass or exterior mirrors, cover vehicle exterior lamps, or affect windshield wiper performance. You can adjust the vehicle shape to smooth these flow disruptions and discourage snow accumulation.