The aerodynamic interference effects between high-sided road vehicles, particularly during overtaking maneuvers under crosswind conditions, significantly impact vehicle stability and safety. This study investigates the aerodynamic interactions between a semi-truck and an SUV, as well as between two identical semi-trucks, on parallel highway lanes using scaled wind tunnel experiments. Tests were conducted in the Iowa State University AABL Wind Tunnel under varying yaw angles (0°–90°) and wind speeds (9–16 m/s) to assess the effects of aerodynamic interference on force coefficients, pressure distributions, and wake of the vehicle. Key findings reveal that the SUV experiences a 38% increase in drag when it overtakes a semi-truck at 0° yaw, while its side force coefficient peaks at 1.02 during “Staggered Ahead” configurations at 45° yaw, where the SUV is just ahead of the semi-truck while overtaking it. The Baseline semi-truck exhibits a maximum side force coefficient of 1.3 under pure crosswind conditions (90° yaw), with interference effects altering force trends in overtaking scenarios. Pressure measurements highlight strong suction zones on vehicle surfaces due to wake interactions, particularly at high yaw angles, increasing destabilizing forces on the overtaking vehicle. These results underscore the critical influence of aerodynamic interference on vehicle dynamics, providing insights for safety assessments and highway design under crosswind conditions. • Wind-tunnel study of crosswinds on high-sided road vehicles for various yaw. • Modeling ABL wind, highway profile, terrain effect to replicate realistic scenario. • Aerodynamic loads measured by pressure and load cells at different yaw angles. • Aerodynamic interference effects between two high-sides road vehicles. • Pressure visualization on vehicles.
Siddique et al. (Sun,) studied this question.