An Analysis of Truck-Driver System Response to Crosswind in Tunnel Exit Conditions

Heavy vehicles entering and exiting a tunnel at high speed under strong crosswinds is a particularly critical condition since the aerodynamic load change drastically, greatly affecting the lateral stability of the vehicle. Active control systems (active suspensions, active front steering, etc.) and infrastructure elements (e.g. wind fences) are proposed to reduce the induced risks. To help the design of these devices, the present paper investigates the response of the vehicle-driver system in the case of a high-sided lorry entering and exiting a tunnel under cross-wind, by using driver-in-the-loop simulations. The study was performed using the dynamic driving simulator of Politecnico di Milano and 28 test drivers. Vehicle and aerodynamic models have been developed to reproduce the phenomenon in a highly immersive environment. During the tests, several combinations of vehicle and wind speed were considered. The effect of turbulence and vehicle loading condition (empty and full) was also investigated.