Transient Platoon Aerodynamics During Passing Maneuvers and In-line Oscillations

The transient aerodynamic effects in a four-vehicle platoon during passing maneuvers and in-line oscillations are investigated. A vehicle model is moved longitudinally parallel to a four-car platoon to simulate passing maneuvers. The drag and side forces experienced by each platoon member are measure using strain gauge balances. The resulting data are presented as dimensionless coefficients.  It is show that each car in the platoon experiences a repulsive side force when the passing vehicle is in the neighborhood of its rear half. The side force reverses its direction and becomes an attractive force when the passing vehicle moves to the neighborhood of it front half.