Reducing the drag for more efficient transport

NASA does it. Formula One vehicle designers do it. Now Monash Engineering is doing it for the heavy vehicle transport sector.

Getting the aerodynamics right is all-important in space flight, car racing and now, heavy vehicle haulage.  It is the aerospace engineers at Monash who are uniquely placed to help the transport sector lighten its environmental footprint.

A project team, headed by Professor John Sheridan, has partnered with heavy vehicle manufacturer, Maxitrans and won $500,000 in an ARC Linkage grant.

The team’s research focuses on reducing vehicle drag. By reducing drag, the heavy vehicles that run the interstate routes every day will require less fuel. Reduced fuel consumption means lower CO2 emissions.

The researchers are experimenting by fitting active devices to the heavy vehicle trailer. Their work includes testing in the Monash Wind Tunnel, computational fluid dynamics modelling plus on-road and test-track trials.

Professor Sheridan says the potential benefits are far reaching. “The savings could be around 8.4% of heavy vehicle emissions. This equates to 1.7 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions and 500 million litres of diesel fuel each year” he said.

Lower transport costs and carbon emissions. Savings to consumers and the atmosphere. And a sustainable transport manufacturing presence in Australia. Everyone’s a winner when you reduce the drag.