Highway Modeling. Part I: Prediction of Velocity and Turbulence Fields in the Wake of Vehicles

A theory for the velocity deficit in the wake of a moving vehicle in still air is derived from a perturbation analysis of the equations of motion. By suitable assumptions, expressions are found for the turbulent energy fluctuations in the wake. This theory is then applied to predict the velocity deficit and turbulent energy fluctuations on a difference net in the x-z plane across the roadway for the case of the wind speed being much less than the vehicle speed (i.e., the GM experiment). The predictions are then compared to data from the General Motors Sulfate Dispersion Experiment. Comparison of observations to predictions show that the theory predicts the velocity deficit and turbulent fluctuations accurately.