PIV measurement of the flow past a generic car body with wheels at LES applicable Reynolds number

Experiments by using 2D–2C Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) were carried out and reported concerning the flow field past a generic car body (modified Ahmed body) which is equipped with wheels and wheel-arches. The Reynolds number was chosen to not exceed 2E+5 based on the height of the Ahmed body which makes it possible to investigate the same configuration by means of Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The wheels were rotating but the ground was stationary. The wheel-ground contact was realized by means of small rectangular openings below the wheels in the ground plane in which the wheels were immersed. The transition contour of the immersed wheels and the ground, as well as the rectangular openings below the wheels were properly sealed to prevent parasite flow and to provide well defined boundary conditions for an upcoming LES investigation. ow field was measured in several planes with normal vectors pointing towards the directions normal to the free stream. Statistical characteristics of the flow are provided and discussed.