Numerical and experimental study of the flow over a two-dimensional car model

A numerical and experimental study of the flow over a two-dimensional car model in proximity to the ground is presented. Velocity measurements around the car have been obtained in a wind tunnel using laser-Doppler-anemometry. Pressure measurements on the upper and lower car surfaces have also been performed. The experimental measurements are compared with numerical predictions. The numerical method is based on a pressure correction algorithm of the SIMPLE-type. A multigrid technique, based on the full approximation storage (FAS) scheme is employed to accelerate the numerical convergence, while as a turbulence model the standard k-ε model with wall functions is used. Comparisons between numerical and experimental results for the u and r velocity profiles, as well as, for the pressure distribution over the car surface are presented.