CA1105527A - Air-flow diverter for reducing the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle - Google Patents
Air-flow diverter for reducing the aerodynamic drag of a vehicleInfo
- Publication number
- CA1105527A CA1105527A CA328,651A CA328651A CA1105527A CA 1105527 A CA1105527 A CA 1105527A CA 328651 A CA328651 A CA 328651A CA 1105527 A CA1105527 A CA 1105527A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- vehicle
- diverter
- laminar
- leading edge
- elements
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 229910052729 chemical element Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 description 8
- 239000011888 foil Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D35/00—Vehicle bodies characterised by streamlining
- B62D35/001—For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
- Y02T10/80—Technologies aiming to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions common to all road transportation technologies
- Y02T10/82—Elements for improving aerodynamics
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
- Wind Motors (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
This invention relates to an air flow diverter for reducing the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle having a front roof portion and a rear roof portion at a higher level than the front roof portion. The diverter comprises a plurality of superimposed laminar elements,the lowermost of which is adjacent the front roof portion of the vehicle.
Each other laminar element has its front edge disposed in proximity to the laminar element below it, defining therewith a transverse entrance slit. Each pair of adjacent laminar elements furthermore define a divergent duct downstream of the respective entrance slit.
In operation of the vehicle, a part of the air flow passes through the divergent duct, increasing in pressure to establish a high pressure region downstream of the diverter, substantially fixed relative to the vehicle, which encourages the deflection of the principal part of the air flow over the roof and sides of the vehicle-when the vehicle is in motion.
This invention relates to an air flow diverter for reducing the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle having a front roof portion and a rear roof portion at a higher level than the front roof portion. The diverter comprises a plurality of superimposed laminar elements,the lowermost of which is adjacent the front roof portion of the vehicle.
Each other laminar element has its front edge disposed in proximity to the laminar element below it, defining therewith a transverse entrance slit. Each pair of adjacent laminar elements furthermore define a divergent duct downstream of the respective entrance slit.
In operation of the vehicle, a part of the air flow passes through the divergent duct, increasing in pressure to establish a high pressure region downstream of the diverter, substantially fixed relative to the vehicle, which encourages the deflection of the principal part of the air flow over the roof and sides of the vehicle-when the vehicle is in motion.
Description
llU~ 7 The present invention relates to air flow diverters for vehicles having a front roof portion and a rear roof portion disposed at a higher level than the said front roof portion. Such diverters are mounted above the front roof portion for the reduction of the aero-- 5 dynamic drag of the vehicle.
In such vehicles the air flow diverter mounted above the front portion of the roof has the function of diverting the flow Or air which impinges on the roof when the vehicle is moving, over the rear portion of the roof. For this purpose deflectors mountable on such vehicles are usually in the form of a foil which extends substantially linearly transversely across the vehicle and is inclined upwardly fro~ a leading edge to a trailing edge (see for example ~ritish A ~ ~/38 Patent No. 11~ and ~.S. patent No. 3972556). Sometimes such diverters further include two vertical side walls positioned at each latexal end of the foil~ in such a way as to divert the said ~ flow of air not only over the rear portion of the roof but also around the sides of the vehicle (see for eYample U.S. Patent ~o. 3972556). The use of such vertical side walls gives rise, however, to the disad-vantage that the vehicle has reduced lateral stability when taking bends.
According to one aspect of the present invention an air flow diverter for the reduction of the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle having a front roof portion and a re æ roof portion disposed at a higher level than the front roof portion, comprises a plurality of superimposéd laminar elements and mounting means for mounting the diverter on the said front roof --- 25 portion of the vehicle in such a way that the laminar elements extend from
In such vehicles the air flow diverter mounted above the front portion of the roof has the function of diverting the flow Or air which impinges on the roof when the vehicle is moving, over the rear portion of the roof. For this purpose deflectors mountable on such vehicles are usually in the form of a foil which extends substantially linearly transversely across the vehicle and is inclined upwardly fro~ a leading edge to a trailing edge (see for example ~ritish A ~ ~/38 Patent No. 11~ and ~.S. patent No. 3972556). Sometimes such diverters further include two vertical side walls positioned at each latexal end of the foil~ in such a way as to divert the said ~ flow of air not only over the rear portion of the roof but also around the sides of the vehicle (see for eYample U.S. Patent ~o. 3972556). The use of such vertical side walls gives rise, however, to the disad-vantage that the vehicle has reduced lateral stability when taking bends.
According to one aspect of the present invention an air flow diverter for the reduction of the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle having a front roof portion and a re æ roof portion disposed at a higher level than the front roof portion, comprises a plurality of superimposéd laminar elements and mounting means for mounting the diverter on the said front roof --- 25 portion of the vehicle in such a way that the laminar elements extend from
-2- ~
l~OS527 side to side of the vehicle with a trailing edge higher than a leading edge, and with the leadin~ edge of the lower-most laminar element disposed closely adjacent the front roof portion of the vehicle, the leading edge of each other laminar element being situated close to the underlying element in such a way as to define with it a transverse slit, any two adjacent laminar elements of the said diverter defining between them rearwardly of the respective slit, a duct having an area increasing towards the rear part of the 1~ diverter, and the leading edge of each of said laminar elements being rearwardly displaced with respect to the leading edge of the underlying laminar element of the di-verter.
The rearwardly increasing area of the duct causes an increase of pressure in that portion of the air flow which, when the vehicle is moving, passes through the slit, thus encouraging the formation, downstream of the diverter itself, of a zone of high pressure which is substantially stationary with respect to the vehicle, and which therefore causes the diversion of the flow of air both over the rear portion of the roof and around the sides of the rear part of the vehicle.
Because of this the use of the deflector of the present inven-tion allows a reduction of the aerodynamic drag of the vehicle to be obtained which is greater than, or at least comparable to, that obtainable with known deflectors of the type provided with vertical side walls, and at the same time avoids the dis-advantage of instability of the vehicle which is characteristic of the use of deflectors having vertical side walls.
`` llOS~-Z7 The type of vehicle to which the deflector of the present invention can be fitted may be, for example, a motor lorry, in which case the front roof portion is constituted by the cabin of the lorry, whilst the rear roof portion is constituted by the roof of the body of the lorry, or possibly by the upper horizontal surfaces :~?
''~,'~.'' 11~5S27 of the load being transported by the lorry. Alternatively the vehicle may be a composite vehicle, includ~ng a towing vehicle and a trailer, or an articulated vehicle comprising a tractor and semi--trailer, A particular example of the use of the air flow diverter of the present invention is a composite towing vehicle and trailer unit, in which the towing vehicle is constituted by a motor car and the trailer by a caravan.
The present invention also comprehends a vehicle when fitt ed with an air flow diverter according to the invention as defined aboveO
One embodiment of the present invention will now be more par-ticularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accom-panying drawings~ in which:
Figure 1 illustrates~ in side view,a deflector according to the present invention mounted on a composite vehicle comprising a motor -- 15 car and a caravan;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the deflector according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is a side view of the deflector of Figure 2, and Figures 4 and 5 illustrate two other useful applications of the deflector according to the present invention.
In Figure 1, there is indicated a motor vehicle 1 towing a caravan 2. On the roof 3 of the motor vehicle 1 is mounted, by means of supports ~, a deflector 4 constituted by two superimposed laminar elements 5,6. Each of the laminar elements 5,6 extends in a ~trai~ht line transversely across the vertical longitudinal plane of the motor vehicle 1c ~he section in this plane of each of the laminar elements 5,6 is constituted by a curve~ line (see Figure 3) sloping reaIwardly upwardly, that i8 810ping Up from a leading edge to a higher trailing edge of the element. ~he lower laminar element 5 has a leading edge 5a dispo~ed closely adjacent the roof of the motor vehicle. The upper laminar element 6 i8 provided with ~ 5 a rounded leading edge 6a, disposed adjacent the laminar element 5, in a position set back with respect to the leading edge 5a thereof, in such a way as to define, with the laminar element 5, a transverse slit 7. ~he l~m;n~ elements 5,6 have a profile such that between them they define, rearwardly of the transverse slit 7, an air guide duct 8 the cross sectional area of which increases rearwardly.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the caravan 2 towed b~
the motor vehicle 1 has a roof 9 the front of which joins a front wall 10 of the caravan 2 by means of a rounded front edge 11. The plane tangential to the trailing edge 13 of the laminar element 6 is indicated 12; this plane contains the horizontal transverse line 14 defined by the inter~ection of the projection of the roof 9 of the caravan 2 with the projection of the front wall 10. If the upper front edge 11 of the caravan 2 has a sharp angle, the plane 12 is disposed in such a way as to contain the edge 11.
When the motor vehicle 1 is moving a part of the flow of air resulting from this movement penetrates through the siit 7 and flows out throu~h the di~ergent duct 8 thereby increasing in pressure. Consequently, this creates, xearwardly of the deflector 4, in the region ~etween the motor vehicle 1 and the caravan 2, a region of hi~h pressure which is relatively fixed with respect to the caravan 2~ and which encourages the deM ection of ~he flow of air over the roof ~ of the caravan 2 and around it~ 6ides. The deflector of the present invention therefore ha6 no need of vertical lateral walls ii~s~z~
for diverting the air flow around the sides of the caravan 2 since this function is performed by the region of high pressure generated by the divergent duct 8. ~he deflector of the invention therefore does not suffer from the disadvantages of instability of the vehicle in conditions when the longitudinal axes of the motor vehicle 1 and the caravan 2 are not aligned, that is when the composite vehicle is taking a bend or corner.
Figure 4 illustrates an application of the deflector of the present invention to an articulated vehicle constituted by a tractor 15 and a semi-trailer 16. In this case also, the semi-trailer 16 has a roof 17 which lies at a higher level than the roof ~8 of the cabin of the tractor 15. The air flow diverter 4 allows the divertion of the flow of air which impinges on the tractor, when the vehicle is moving, over the roof 17 and to either side of the semi-trailer 16.
- Figure 5 illustrates the application of the deflector of the /~
present invention to a lorry having a cabin ~the roof 19 of which is at a lower level than the horizontal surface 20 of the rear body 21.
The horizontal upper surface 20 could, of course, be defined by the load transported by the lorry.
~ ests have been conducted both in wind tunnels and on the road to ascertain the amount of reduction of fuel consumption wh~ch can be obtained by the use of the diverter of the invention when used on a composite vehicle constituted by a motor car and a c~ravan. In these tests the diverter used had the geometry illustrated in Figure 3 in which the inclinations, with respect to the horizontal, of the general planes of the two laminar elements 5,6 are indicated by O~and respectivelyO The cross sectional shape of the elements 5 and 6 are ~lCSSZ7 defined largely by circular curves the radii of which are indicated ~1? R2, R3, and R4 in Figure 3. The lengths Which define the main geometry of the profile of the two l~m~n~ elements 5,6 are indicated a, b, c, d, e, as indicated in Figure 3.
The tests were conducted with a deflector having the following geometry:
~ = 13 ; ~ = 26 ; a = b = 600mm ; c = 140mm ;
d = 170mm; e = 100mm ; R1 = 70mm ; R2 = ?70mm ;
R3 = 340mm ; R4 = 250mm.
The tests ~re erformed at a velocity of or equivalent to 90 km.
per hour. The results of the wind tunnel tests indicated a reduction of the coefficient of aerodynamic drag of the vehicle from the value of 2.78 without the diverter of the invention to the value 1.74 with the diverter fitted, The road tests were performed on a motor car having an engine capacity equal to 1800 cc and on a motor car having an engine capacity equal to 2000 cc.
In the f~rst case the utilisation of the deflector of the present invention produced a reduction of the fuel consumption from 21.9 litres per 100 Km to 18 litres per 100 Km. This corresponds to a reduction of fuel consumption of 7~/o. ~his result was obtained u~ing a caravan having a front upper edge with a sharp corner. ~y u~ing, on the other hand, in the same conditions, a caravan having a rounded front upper edge the fuel consumption was reduced, by fitting the de~lector of the invention, from 18.1 litres per 100 Emc to 16.35 litre5 per 100 Em. ~his corresponds to a reduction of a fuel con-sumption of 9.~
~ n the case of a motor car having an engine capacity e~ual to 2000 cc~ the fuel consumption was reduced from 19~7 litres per 100 Km.
-` il(~S~iZ~7 to 15.75 litres per 100 Km (a reduction of fuel consumption of 20.05%) with a caravan having an upper front edge with a sharp corner, and from 15.2 litres per 100 Em. to 14.~ litres per 100 Km (reduction of fuel consumption of 5.~/o) with a caravan havi~yg a rounded front 5 upper edge.
l~OS527 side to side of the vehicle with a trailing edge higher than a leading edge, and with the leadin~ edge of the lower-most laminar element disposed closely adjacent the front roof portion of the vehicle, the leading edge of each other laminar element being situated close to the underlying element in such a way as to define with it a transverse slit, any two adjacent laminar elements of the said diverter defining between them rearwardly of the respective slit, a duct having an area increasing towards the rear part of the 1~ diverter, and the leading edge of each of said laminar elements being rearwardly displaced with respect to the leading edge of the underlying laminar element of the di-verter.
The rearwardly increasing area of the duct causes an increase of pressure in that portion of the air flow which, when the vehicle is moving, passes through the slit, thus encouraging the formation, downstream of the diverter itself, of a zone of high pressure which is substantially stationary with respect to the vehicle, and which therefore causes the diversion of the flow of air both over the rear portion of the roof and around the sides of the rear part of the vehicle.
Because of this the use of the deflector of the present inven-tion allows a reduction of the aerodynamic drag of the vehicle to be obtained which is greater than, or at least comparable to, that obtainable with known deflectors of the type provided with vertical side walls, and at the same time avoids the dis-advantage of instability of the vehicle which is characteristic of the use of deflectors having vertical side walls.
`` llOS~-Z7 The type of vehicle to which the deflector of the present invention can be fitted may be, for example, a motor lorry, in which case the front roof portion is constituted by the cabin of the lorry, whilst the rear roof portion is constituted by the roof of the body of the lorry, or possibly by the upper horizontal surfaces :~?
''~,'~.'' 11~5S27 of the load being transported by the lorry. Alternatively the vehicle may be a composite vehicle, includ~ng a towing vehicle and a trailer, or an articulated vehicle comprising a tractor and semi--trailer, A particular example of the use of the air flow diverter of the present invention is a composite towing vehicle and trailer unit, in which the towing vehicle is constituted by a motor car and the trailer by a caravan.
The present invention also comprehends a vehicle when fitt ed with an air flow diverter according to the invention as defined aboveO
One embodiment of the present invention will now be more par-ticularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accom-panying drawings~ in which:
Figure 1 illustrates~ in side view,a deflector according to the present invention mounted on a composite vehicle comprising a motor -- 15 car and a caravan;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the deflector according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is a side view of the deflector of Figure 2, and Figures 4 and 5 illustrate two other useful applications of the deflector according to the present invention.
In Figure 1, there is indicated a motor vehicle 1 towing a caravan 2. On the roof 3 of the motor vehicle 1 is mounted, by means of supports ~, a deflector 4 constituted by two superimposed laminar elements 5,6. Each of the laminar elements 5,6 extends in a ~trai~ht line transversely across the vertical longitudinal plane of the motor vehicle 1c ~he section in this plane of each of the laminar elements 5,6 is constituted by a curve~ line (see Figure 3) sloping reaIwardly upwardly, that i8 810ping Up from a leading edge to a higher trailing edge of the element. ~he lower laminar element 5 has a leading edge 5a dispo~ed closely adjacent the roof of the motor vehicle. The upper laminar element 6 i8 provided with ~ 5 a rounded leading edge 6a, disposed adjacent the laminar element 5, in a position set back with respect to the leading edge 5a thereof, in such a way as to define, with the laminar element 5, a transverse slit 7. ~he l~m;n~ elements 5,6 have a profile such that between them they define, rearwardly of the transverse slit 7, an air guide duct 8 the cross sectional area of which increases rearwardly.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the caravan 2 towed b~
the motor vehicle 1 has a roof 9 the front of which joins a front wall 10 of the caravan 2 by means of a rounded front edge 11. The plane tangential to the trailing edge 13 of the laminar element 6 is indicated 12; this plane contains the horizontal transverse line 14 defined by the inter~ection of the projection of the roof 9 of the caravan 2 with the projection of the front wall 10. If the upper front edge 11 of the caravan 2 has a sharp angle, the plane 12 is disposed in such a way as to contain the edge 11.
When the motor vehicle 1 is moving a part of the flow of air resulting from this movement penetrates through the siit 7 and flows out throu~h the di~ergent duct 8 thereby increasing in pressure. Consequently, this creates, xearwardly of the deflector 4, in the region ~etween the motor vehicle 1 and the caravan 2, a region of hi~h pressure which is relatively fixed with respect to the caravan 2~ and which encourages the deM ection of ~he flow of air over the roof ~ of the caravan 2 and around it~ 6ides. The deflector of the present invention therefore ha6 no need of vertical lateral walls ii~s~z~
for diverting the air flow around the sides of the caravan 2 since this function is performed by the region of high pressure generated by the divergent duct 8. ~he deflector of the invention therefore does not suffer from the disadvantages of instability of the vehicle in conditions when the longitudinal axes of the motor vehicle 1 and the caravan 2 are not aligned, that is when the composite vehicle is taking a bend or corner.
Figure 4 illustrates an application of the deflector of the present invention to an articulated vehicle constituted by a tractor 15 and a semi-trailer 16. In this case also, the semi-trailer 16 has a roof 17 which lies at a higher level than the roof ~8 of the cabin of the tractor 15. The air flow diverter 4 allows the divertion of the flow of air which impinges on the tractor, when the vehicle is moving, over the roof 17 and to either side of the semi-trailer 16.
- Figure 5 illustrates the application of the deflector of the /~
present invention to a lorry having a cabin ~the roof 19 of which is at a lower level than the horizontal surface 20 of the rear body 21.
The horizontal upper surface 20 could, of course, be defined by the load transported by the lorry.
~ ests have been conducted both in wind tunnels and on the road to ascertain the amount of reduction of fuel consumption wh~ch can be obtained by the use of the diverter of the invention when used on a composite vehicle constituted by a motor car and a c~ravan. In these tests the diverter used had the geometry illustrated in Figure 3 in which the inclinations, with respect to the horizontal, of the general planes of the two laminar elements 5,6 are indicated by O~and respectivelyO The cross sectional shape of the elements 5 and 6 are ~lCSSZ7 defined largely by circular curves the radii of which are indicated ~1? R2, R3, and R4 in Figure 3. The lengths Which define the main geometry of the profile of the two l~m~n~ elements 5,6 are indicated a, b, c, d, e, as indicated in Figure 3.
The tests were conducted with a deflector having the following geometry:
~ = 13 ; ~ = 26 ; a = b = 600mm ; c = 140mm ;
d = 170mm; e = 100mm ; R1 = 70mm ; R2 = ?70mm ;
R3 = 340mm ; R4 = 250mm.
The tests ~re erformed at a velocity of or equivalent to 90 km.
per hour. The results of the wind tunnel tests indicated a reduction of the coefficient of aerodynamic drag of the vehicle from the value of 2.78 without the diverter of the invention to the value 1.74 with the diverter fitted, The road tests were performed on a motor car having an engine capacity equal to 1800 cc and on a motor car having an engine capacity equal to 2000 cc.
In the f~rst case the utilisation of the deflector of the present invention produced a reduction of the fuel consumption from 21.9 litres per 100 Km to 18 litres per 100 Km. This corresponds to a reduction of fuel consumption of 7~/o. ~his result was obtained u~ing a caravan having a front upper edge with a sharp corner. ~y u~ing, on the other hand, in the same conditions, a caravan having a rounded front upper edge the fuel consumption was reduced, by fitting the de~lector of the invention, from 18.1 litres per 100 Emc to 16.35 litre5 per 100 Em. ~his corresponds to a reduction of a fuel con-sumption of 9.~
~ n the case of a motor car having an engine capacity e~ual to 2000 cc~ the fuel consumption was reduced from 19~7 litres per 100 Km.
-` il(~S~iZ~7 to 15.75 litres per 100 Km (a reduction of fuel consumption of 20.05%) with a caravan having an upper front edge with a sharp corner, and from 15.2 litres per 100 Em. to 14.~ litres per 100 Km (reduction of fuel consumption of 5.~/o) with a caravan havi~yg a rounded front 5 upper edge.
Claims (14)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS
1. An air flow diverter for the reduction of the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle having a rear roof portion disposed at a higher level than a front roof portion, the said diverter comprising:
a plurality of superimposed laminar elements each having a trailing edge and a leading edge, mounting means for mounting said laminar elements on said front roof por-tion of said vehicle, said laminar elements when so mount-ed extending from side to side of said vehicle each with said trailing edge thereof higher than said leading edge thereof, the leading edge of the lowermost said laminar elements being disposed closely adjacent said front roof portion of said vehicle, the leading edge of each other said laminar element being situated close to the underlying laminar element of said diverter and defining therewith a transverse slit, any two adjacent laminar elements of said diverter defining between them, rearwardly of the slit defined there-between, a duct having an area increasing towards the rear of said diverter, and the leading edge of each of said lamin-en elements being rearwardly displaced with respect to the leading edge of the underlying laminar element of said diver-ter.
a plurality of superimposed laminar elements each having a trailing edge and a leading edge, mounting means for mounting said laminar elements on said front roof por-tion of said vehicle, said laminar elements when so mount-ed extending from side to side of said vehicle each with said trailing edge thereof higher than said leading edge thereof, the leading edge of the lowermost said laminar elements being disposed closely adjacent said front roof portion of said vehicle, the leading edge of each other said laminar element being situated close to the underlying laminar element of said diverter and defining therewith a transverse slit, any two adjacent laminar elements of said diverter defining between them, rearwardly of the slit defined there-between, a duct having an area increasing towards the rear of said diverter, and the leading edge of each of said lamin-en elements being rearwardly displaced with respect to the leading edge of the underlying laminar element of said diver-ter.
2. The air flow diverter of claim 1, wherein said lamin-ar elements extend in a straight line from side to side of said diverter.
3. The air flow diverter of claim 1, wherein each of said laminar elements is curved as viewed in section taken perpendicular to said leading edge thereof.
4. The air flow diverter of claim 1, wherein said diverter has two such laminar elements.
5. The air flow diverter of claim 4, wherein the upper said laminar element has a rounded leading edge.
6. A vehicle having a front roof portion and a rear roof portion disposed at a higher level than said front roof portion, a diverter mounted above said front roof portion of said vehicle for the reduction of the aerodynamic drag of said vehicle, said diverter comprising a plurality of superimposed laminar elements extending from side to side of said vehicle, each said laminar element having a lead-ing edge and a trailing edge and being disposed with said trailing edge thereof higher than said leading edge thereof, said leading edge of the lowermost said laminar element being disposed closely adjacent said front roof por-tion of said vehicle, said leading edge of each other said laminar ele-ment being situated close to the underlying said laminar element in such a way as to define therewith a transverse slit, any two adjacent said laminar elements of said diverter defining between them, rearwardly of the respective said slit, a duct having an area increasing towards the rear of said diverter, and the leading edge of each of said lamin-ar elements being rearwardly displaced with respect to the leading edge of the underlying laminar element of said diverter.
7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein said vehicle is a lorry.
8. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein said vehicle is a composite vehicle constituted by a towing vehicle and a trailer.
9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein said towing vehicle is a motor car and said trailer is a caravan.
10. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein said vehicle is an articulated vehicle.
11. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein said diverter has two laminar elements.
12. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein the upper laminar element has a rounded leading edge.
13. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein said rear roof por-tion of said vehicle has a sharp front edge where it joins a front wall of said vehicle and the plane tangential to said trailing edge of the uppermost said laminar element of said diverter contains said sharp front edge of said rear roof portion.
14. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein said rear portion of the roof of said vehicle has a rounded front edge where it joins a front wall of said vehicle, and the plane tan-gential to said trailing edge of the uppermost said laminar element of said diverter contains the intersection of the projected planes of said rear roof portion and said front wall.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT68316/78A IT1108592B (en) | 1978-06-07 | 1978-06-07 | DEFLECTOR FOR THE REDUCTION OF THE AERODYNAMIC RESISTANCE OF A VEHICLE CONSTITUTED BY A DRIVE AND A TRAILER |
| IT68316-A/78 | 1978-06-07 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1105527A true CA1105527A (en) | 1981-07-21 |
Family
ID=11308956
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA328,651A Expired CA1105527A (en) | 1978-06-07 | 1979-05-30 | Air-flow diverter for reducing the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle |
Country Status (12)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS558988A (en) |
| BE (1) | BE876813A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1105527A (en) |
| CH (1) | CH634515A5 (en) |
| DE (2) | DE7915232U1 (en) |
| DK (1) | DK234479A (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2427939A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2023519B (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1108592B (en) |
| LU (1) | LU81360A1 (en) |
| NL (1) | NL7904439A (en) |
| SE (1) | SE7904881L (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS56134286U (en) * | 1980-03-14 | 1981-10-12 | ||
| DE3202812A1 (en) * | 1982-01-26 | 1983-08-04 | Werner 1000 Berlin Schlick | Wind deflector |
| DE59105189D1 (en) * | 1991-07-12 | 1995-05-18 | Henre Filipek | Advertising sign arrangement for motor vehicles. |
| DE102005057633A1 (en) * | 2005-12-02 | 2007-06-14 | Man Nutzfahrzeuge Ag | Commercial vehicle with a spoiler overlapping the main spoiler |
Family Cites Families (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE640839C (en) * | 1929-04-11 | 1937-01-14 | Hermann Foettinger Dr Ing | Device for reducing the resistance of bodies streamed around, especially for block-like structures of all kinds of motor vehicles |
| US2863695A (en) * | 1954-11-19 | 1958-12-09 | Chrysler Corp | Tractor-trailer airstream control kit |
| US3241876A (en) * | 1964-01-31 | 1966-03-22 | Saunders Walter Selden | Apparatus for reducing linear and lateral wind resistance in a tractortrailer combination vehicle |
| US3419897A (en) * | 1967-04-27 | 1968-12-31 | Glenn N. Bratsberg | Airstream deflector for vehicles |
| US3929369A (en) * | 1973-03-19 | 1975-12-30 | Blair Lefler Inc | Air deflecting vane assembly for a vehicle |
| US4006931A (en) * | 1974-09-11 | 1977-02-08 | Ford Motor Company | Device for reducing wind resistance of a vehicle |
| DE7523124U (en) * | 1975-07-21 | 1976-04-29 | Fa. Walter Kuhfuss, 3284 Schieder- Schwalenberg | Wind deflection device for trucks |
| US4047747A (en) * | 1975-12-11 | 1977-09-13 | Ldv Industries, Inc. | Air drag reducer for motor freight vehicles |
-
1978
- 1978-06-07 IT IT68316/78A patent/IT1108592B/en active
-
1979
- 1979-05-25 DE DE19797915232U patent/DE7915232U1/en not_active Expired
- 1979-05-25 DE DE19792921355 patent/DE2921355A1/en not_active Ceased
- 1979-05-30 GB GB7918770A patent/GB2023519B/en not_active Expired
- 1979-05-30 CA CA328,651A patent/CA1105527A/en not_active Expired
- 1979-06-01 FR FR7914202A patent/FR2427939A1/en active Granted
- 1979-06-05 LU LU81360A patent/LU81360A1/en unknown
- 1979-06-05 SE SE7904881A patent/SE7904881L/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1979-06-05 CH CH520179A patent/CH634515A5/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1979-06-06 DK DK234479A patent/DK234479A/en unknown
- 1979-06-06 JP JP7180679A patent/JPS558988A/en active Pending
- 1979-06-06 NL NL7904439A patent/NL7904439A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1979-06-06 BE BE0/195610A patent/BE876813A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| SE7904881L (en) | 1979-12-08 |
| GB2023519B (en) | 1982-11-24 |
| FR2427939A1 (en) | 1980-01-04 |
| DK234479A (en) | 1979-12-08 |
| IT1108592B (en) | 1985-12-09 |
| BE876813A (en) | 1979-10-01 |
| LU81360A1 (en) | 1979-09-11 |
| DE7915232U1 (en) | 1980-10-16 |
| CH634515A5 (en) | 1983-02-15 |
| GB2023519A (en) | 1980-01-03 |
| JPS558988A (en) | 1980-01-22 |
| IT7868316A0 (en) | 1978-06-07 |
| DE2921355A1 (en) | 1979-12-13 |
| NL7904439A (en) | 1979-12-11 |
| FR2427939B1 (en) | 1982-09-03 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |