Effect of Crosswind on Vehicle Dynamics

Crosswinds often play a substantial role in traffic accidents on highways, bridges, and slopes. Accidents occur when the vehicle yaws and the driver loses control. This paper analyzes the passive crosswind response of various automobiles in static situations by neglecting the steering and driver inputs. First, this paper will explore the yawing of vehicles on a straight road using wind data from the Hudhud cyclone (that occurred in 2014), including wind direction, speed, density, and pressure. Second, this study will determine how a vehicle will react to a crosswind when driving on a grade, such as a hill or a mountain, using wind data with varying altitude. The impact of aerodynamic loads on vehicle dynamics is studied in this context. In a crosswind, a car’s suitable rearward center of pressure (C.P.) placement is needed to reduce lane deviations. However, changes in the vehicle’s axle loads result in a shift in the C.P. location, which turns the automobile. Hence, the yawing of cars moving on a straight road with different axle loads needs to be analyzed. Wind density variation is vital when a car/truck is moving on a road. The change in wind density (caused by pressure changes as elevation increases) will impact the vehicle’s response to crosswinds. This paper also examines how wind density variation changes the vehicle dynamics while driving on a hill.