Comparing Drag Force Reductions with Varying Angles in Tractor-Trailer Panels
The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether the addition of trailer panels attached at various angles would significantly affect the amount of wind drag reduction on tractor-trailers. To accomplish this, a model tractor-trailer was placed in a wind tunnel and a pulley system was used to attach the model to a force sensor underneath the wind tunnel. Trailer panels were constructed and attached to the trailer’s rear face, which were angled inward at angles of 0 °, 15 °, and 3 0 °. After attaching a set of trailer panels to the model, the wind tunnel was turned on and, using the LoggerPro software, the resulting force of wind drag on the model was measured in Newtons over a ten second interval of which the average force was calculated. This was repeated over a randomized set of trials to acquire thirty data points of each panel angle.
The original hypothesis, stating that the 0 ° panels would yield the highest force of wind drag and that the 15 ° panels would yield the lowest force, was accepted. Convincing evidence was found that the fifteen degree panels possessed the lowest wind drag which was significantly different with a p-value of approximately zero. The results are highly applicable to efficient trucking as lessening wind drag reduces fuel consumption and increases profit margins. In addition, the vast reduction in fuel usage that the improvement of trailer panels could yield would cut carbon emissions and thus slow the increase of climate change.
Research Conducted By:
Timothy Kemp
Cousino High School
Scott Zanichelli
Cousino High School
Warren Consolidated Schools