PhD Studentship: Experimental and Numerical Study of Parameters Affecting the Wake Dynamics of a Simplified Car: Effects of Roughness - Turbulence - Yaw Angle

Overview:

Air quality is a major public health issue worldwide. Two origins are identified for pollutant particles that emanate from passenger cars: those coming from the exhaust (linked to an imperfect combustion in engines) and those emitted outside the exhaust (linked to the abrasion of tyres and the wear of brakes). The dynamics of exhaust and non-exhaust pollutants released into the atmosphere in the wake of passenger cars are still poorly understood. Hence, an enhanced understanding of the interaction of wake aerodynamics and pollutant dispersion is essential. The infiltration of pollutants into car cabins (to reduce the exposure of occupants) and the regions where pollutants accumulate (to be avoided by pedestrians and cyclists) need to be minimised. The PhD objective is to study the effects of traffic conditions (inflow turbulence, orientation (yaw angle) of the incident flow with respect to a passenger car) and road conditions (roughness, boundary layer, rolling road) on the wake dynamics. Experimental studies will be performed in wind tunnels with advanced measurement techniques with high spatial and temporal resolutions. Realistic car models (DrivAer models) will be considered in this study and an Ahmed body will be used as the baseline. Numerical studies will be performed using commercial CFD software. A correlation between experimental and numerical data will be determined. This project will enhance the understanding of physical mechanisms affecting the processes of pollutant dispersion in the wake of passenger cars. This is a double-PhD study and so the student will spend the first 18 months at Cranfield University (UK) and the last 18 months at ESTACA (France).

Eligibility: UK

Duration: 3 years

Supervisors: Dr Karthik Depuru-Mohan

Entry Requirement: Applicants should have a UK first-class or second-class honours degree in automobile engineering or mechanical engineering or aerospace engineering with a focus on thermofluids or aerodynamics. 

Funding:

To be eligible for these funding, applicants must be a UK national or an EU national who qualifies for home fee status in the UK.

This is a fully-funded, 3-year, full-time PhD studentship, which covers all fees at a UK level, tax-free stipend (£19,000 per year for 3 years), and running costs (£10,000 over a period of 3 years), which include travel and subsistence, conference / training fees, laboratory consumables.

Location:

Based at the UK Defence Academy at Shrivenham in Oxfordshire, CDS is the academic provider to the UK Ministry of Defence for postgraduate education at the Defence Academy, training in engineering, science, acquisition, management and leadership.

Application deadline: 03 Sep 2025

Start date: 06 Oct 2025

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