Wind-Drag Estimation in a Traffic Accident Involving a Motor Scooter and a Tractor-Trailer

• NCJ Number: 241248
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 57 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2012 Pages: 1108-1113
• Author(s): Chan-Seong Park, Ph.D.; Seung-Won Jeon, M.E.; Kyu-Jung Lee, Ph.D.; Jun-Suk Kim, M.E.; Jae-Geun Oh, Ph.D.; Jong-Chan Park, Ph.D.; Hong-Seok Lee, Ph.D.; Young-Shik Choi, Ph.D.
• Date Published: July 2012
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This case report describes a noncontact traffic accident involving a motor scooter and a tractor-trailer with a focus on the wind-drag effect.

Abstract

This case report describes a noncontact traffic accident involving a motor scooter and a tractor-trailer with a focus on the wind-drag effect. Researchers used load cells to measure the drag force acting on a substantially similar motor scooter when a substantially similar tractor-trailer passes by it, taking into consideration various speeds of the tractor-trailer and distances between the two vehicles. A three-dimensional steady-state flow analysis was also performed by using the CFX program for computational fluid dynamics to examine the streamlines and the pressure distribution around the tractor-trailer at various speeds. From the experiment, for a separation distance of 1.0 m (3.28 ft) and a speed of 90 km/h (55.9 mph), the maximum resultant drag force is 124.5 N (28 lb); this constitutes a degree of force that could abruptly disrupt the stability in maneuvering by an operator who is unaware of the approaching tractor-trailer. In addition, a single equation that relates the tractor-trailer speed to the drag force that acts on the motor scooter was derived on the basis of the Reynolds number (Re) and the wind-drag coefficient (Cd): Cd = 1.298 10-7 Re. Abstract published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons.