Student thesis project: Transient setup for aerodynamic simulations of transport vehicles

Life is always about becoming... In life it is about going on a journey to become the best version of our future self. As we discover new things, we face challenges, master them and grow beyond us.

Apply to Mercedes-Benz and find the area where you can develop your talents individually. You will be supported by visionary colleagues who share your pioneering spirit. Joining us means becoming part of a global team whose goal is to build the most desirable cars in the world. Together for excellence.

Number: MER00043OC Being part of Mercedes-Benz means finding the task area where you can develop your talents individually. It means in a global car company that has the goal of building the most desirable cars in the world to give its best. You will be supported by visionary colleagues who share their pioneering spirit. Together for excellence. In the course of the transformation of the automotive industry towards electrically operated vehicles, it is necessary to increase the range of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and thus the customer acceptance. In addition to increasing the battery capacity and with optimized thermal management, this can also be done primarily by continuously reducing the driving resistance. For this purpose, the air resistance is in focus. For the optimization of the air resistance, numerical flow simulations (CFD) as well as wind channel measurements are carried out as standard. Although significant improvements have been made in the prediction accuracy of the simulations in recent years, there are still deviations to the wind tunnel, especially in cubic vehicle geometries. The aim of the work is to develop a specific and optimized solver and net setup for the transient aerodynamic evaluation in CFD for commercial transporters. For this purpose, a literature search for similar vehicle concepts can also be carried out in the first step in addition to an internal knowledge search. Based on this research, an optimized transient setup of the solver and networking settings in Star-CCM+ is then to be developed with the aim of improving the prediction accuracy of the numerical flow simulation compared to wind channel measurements. For this purpose, both the absolute value statements of the air resistance coefficient and individual potentials are in focus. In particular, in order to qualitatively evaluate the flow field, the follow-up from the CFD simulation is to be compared with follow-up measurements from the wind channel. The set-up found is then optionally examined on the basis of other VAN series and their measures for universal usability. Finally, the findings and recommendations for action must be documented in detail. These challenges include: Processing in Star-CCM+ Literature research on optimized transient network and solver settings, especially for cubic bodies Creation of a Variant Matrix of Network and Solver Settings Independent simulation of all variants from the variant matrix and comparison with wind channel measurements Detailed comparison of the afterrunning of the vehicle of the different variants with existing afterrun measurements from the wind tunnel Evaluation of the optimized setup for other VAN series to check the universal usability (optional)

Presentation and documentation of the results The final topics will be dealt with in consultation with the university, you and us The activity can start from 08/2026.

Course: Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Vehicle Technology or Comparable Secure knowledge of German and English in word and writing Experience in numerical flow simulation first contact points with the aerodynamics are desirable

Analytical thinking and strategic working

Additional information: We are looking forward to your online application with CV, lettering, certificates, current enrollment certificate with an indication of the semester and proof of the regular study period. Please do not forget to mark your documents as ''relevant for this application' in the online form and to observe the maximum file size of 5 MB. Further information on the setting criteria can be found here. Disabled and equalized applicants are welcome! The severely disabled representative (sbv-untertuerkheim@mercedes-benz.com) is happy to support you in the application process. HR Services will be happy to help you with questions about the application process. You can reach us by email via myhrservice@mercedes-benz.com or by phone at 0711/17-99000 (Mo-Fr 10-12am & 13-15am).

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