| Aerodynamic Characterization and Improvement of European Modular System Class-3 Road Vehicle Combinations Using Numerical Models |
| Ahmet Ozan Çelik, Volkan Kiriççi |
| Department of Civil Engineering, Eskisehir Technical University, 2 Eylul Campus, 26555, Tepebasi, Eskisehir, Turkey |
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Received: June 25, 2025; Revised: August 24, 2025 Accepted: August 29, 2025. Published online: October 22, 2025. |
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| ABSTRACT |
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This study utilizes computationally affordable and reliable methods to numerically analyze the aerodynamic performance of class 3 vehicles: 25.25 m long combinations of semi-trailers and trailers commonly used in Europe. The main goal is to evaluate the aerodynamic performance of different combinations in order to address the environmental impact of heavy-duty, long vehicles. While utilizing Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques in this study, it is acknowledged that the findings reported here are meant to be guiding the decision-making processes for the most efficient vehicle types with new geometric improvements. The findings indicate that the Case A (tractor/semi-trailer/center axle trailer configuration) has 18% lower drag coefficient (CD) than the Case B (truck/dolly/semi-trailer configuration). In addition, covering the gap in Case A leads to an additional 5.4% reduction in drag coefficient. Lowering this gap distance however, increases the drag. Simple but effective approaches presented here can lead to considerable cuts in fuel consumption as well as emissions for these commercial vehicles. |
| Key Words:
Computational fluid dynamics · Aerodynamics · Class 3 vehicles · Semi-trailer |
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Corresponding Author.
Ahmet Ozan Çelik , Email. 
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