Aerodynamic Study of a Three Wheeler Body

Abstract

A three-wheeled mode of transportation other than just in India is common in most developing countries. Proving to be a cheap and effective way of transportation, their small size, easy bike-like manoeuvrability, due to its single front tire control and low cost of both purchase and maintenance make it nearly ideal as a method of public transportation. Despite all their benefits, updates to this vehicle have been few and far between. Three wheeler faces many tough tasks with more demands being made of its usage in ergonomics, exhaust and performance parameters. New designs have to be made to take three wheeler into the twenty-first century. The original three wheeler used in India was introduced in 1956, and there have been few changes to that original design, and while it has proved good over the years, it fails to live up to the current consumer expectations. The aim of this paper is to study three wheeler design and validate its limitations using aerodynamic study of the drag and lift forces that it faces. It calculates the theoretical maximum velocity to be 77 km/hr with the coefficient of drag to be 0.4975. The design of three wheeler needs more than a face lift, and hopefully, this study acts as a guide to other research.

Peer reviewed under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Progress in Automotive Technologies, ICPAT—2019.