Flow and turbulent structures around simplified car models

External car aerodynamics study has great importance in overall car efficiency and ride stability, being a key element in successful automotive design. The flow over car geometries shows three dimensional and unsteady turbulent characteristics. Additionally, vortex shedding, flow reattachment and recirculation bubbles are also found around the bluff body. These phenomena greatly influence the lift and drag coefficients, which are fundamental for ride stability and energy efficiency, respectively. The aim of the present study is focused on the assessment of different LES models (e.g. VMS or SIGMA models), as well as to show their capabilities of capturing the large scale turbulent flow structures in car-like bodies using relative coarse grids. In order to achieve these objectives, the flow around two model car geometries, the Ahmed and the Asmo cars, is simulated. These generic bluff bodies reproduce the basic fluid dynamics features of real cars. First, the flow over both geometries is studied and compared against experimental results to validate the numerical results. Then, different LES models are used to study the flow in detail and compare the structures found in both geometries. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.