Aerodynamic drag reduction apparatus for vehicles or the like
OwnerDonald L. Elderinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention involves an attachment for bluff forward surface vehicles including a curved inner fairing adjacent one or more rectangular corners of the vehicle together with a spaced air foil member providing high lift characteristics and a convergent path between the members, both to reduce the air resistance and air flow separation from the top and sides of the vehicle, thus to reduce air drag and increase efficiency of operation. If the vehicle corners are more rounded, the inner fairing can be dispensed with and the air foil member merely attached to the vehicle corner in appropriate spaced relation.
Claims7
Apparatus for reducing aerodynamic drag on bluff vehicles or the like having rectangular edges, which comprises
- a curved inner fairing extending forwardly from the bluff surface of the vehicle and substantially merging with the rectangularly-related, rearwardly extending surface thereof, and
- an air foil member supported in spaced relation forwardly of said fairing in the direction of vehicle travel to provide a rearwardly convergent air flow channel between said fairing and said air foil member,
- said air foil member having a major curvature radius at least one-eighth of the transverse dimension of the bluff surface of the vehicle.
Apparatus for reducing aerodynamic drag on a vehicle having a bluff surface and rounded corner edges which comprises a vehicle fairing,
- an air foil member supported in spaced relation forwardly of the vehicle fairing in the direction of vehicle motion and forming therebetween a convergent air flow channel, said air foil member having a rounded front nose portion of relatively small radius and a rearwardly extending surface of increasing radius, at least one eighth of the transverse dimension of the bluff surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.