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Monash University > News and Events > Monash Memo
Reducing drag to save environment
2 December 2009
Getting the aerodynamics right is all-important in space flight, car racing and now, heavy vehicle haulage with Aerospace engineers at Monash uniquely placed to help the transport sector reduce its environmental footprint.
A project team headed by Professor John Sheridan from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has partnered with heavy vehicle manufacturer Maxitrans on a $500,000 Australian Research Council Linkage project that focuses on reducing vehicle drag.
The team hopes their research will reduce the amount of fuel needed to run heavy vehicles, and in doing so reduce the amount of carbon emissions generated.
The researchers are experimenting by fitting active devices to the heavy vehicle trailer. Their work includes testing in the University's wind tunnel, computational fluid dynamics modelling, and on-road and test-track trials.
Professor Sheridan said the potential benefits are far reaching.
"We expect the savings to be about 8.4 per cent of heavy vehicle emissions," he said.
"This equates to 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions and 500 million litres of diesel fuel each year."
Lower transport costs and carbon emissions will also amount to savings to the end consumer and the environment as well as contribute to a sustainable transport manufacturing presence in Australia.
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