Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

When vehicles operate in adverse weather such as rain, snow, fog, dust storms, etc., there is contamination of the external surfaces of the vehicle, which can significantly impair the vision of drivers and optical sensors. This is a complex multiphase flow phenomenon, which is not new; however, the advanced features of emerging vehicles, such as self-driving vehicles, have given it a new impetus. These emerging vehicles entirely depend on a network of sophisticated sensors to provide environmental data for navigation. This can lead to accidents if sensor surfaces are contaminated, impairing their performance. However, there is currently no accepted guideline that outlines design criteria for vehicles to mitigate surface contamination of sensors, resulting in difficulties in performing optimizations. In addition, there is no standardized testing methodology for evaluating surface contamination on road vehicle sensors in indoor testing. Existing indoor setups usually employ spray nozzles, which are too simplistic and do not represent realistic surface contamination characteristics of a moving vehicle, which consists of a combination of meteorological and environmental effects. In contrast, outdoor testing has many variables that are not repeatable, making it difficult for a systematic study of surface contamination. Thus, the impact of this complex phenomenon on sensor performance in adverse weather is not fully quantified, and a physically relevant quantitative representation necessary for developing mitigation strategies does not exist. The goal of the proposed research program is to establish a new body of knowledge on the multiphase flow phenomena around vehicles in adverse weather. The proposed research will focus on weather-induced aerodynamic influences and their impact on emerging transportation systems, such as autonomous ground vehicles and air taxis. It involves developing rigorous techniques for characterizing and providing physical insight into these complex processes. This will lay the groundwork for developing fundamental concepts and models for accurately predicting surface contamination on vehicle sensors, leading to the development of novel mitigation strategies and control devices. This research, therefore, has the potential to enhance Canada's competitiveness in the emerging transportation systems and the automotive industry in general, with a positive impact on the economy of the country.