CA3051082A1 - Method and apparatus to diminish aerodynamic drag on trucks, trailers and other moving vehicles - Google Patents
Method and apparatus to diminish aerodynamic drag on trucks, trailers and other moving vehicles Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA3051082A1 CA3051082A1 CA3051082A CA3051082A CA3051082A1 CA 3051082 A1 CA3051082 A1 CA 3051082A1 CA 3051082 A CA3051082 A CA 3051082A CA 3051082 A CA3051082 A CA 3051082A CA 3051082 A1 CA3051082 A1 CA 3051082A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- panel
- vehicle
- openings
- drag
- fairings
- 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.)
- Abandoned
Links
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
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D37/00—Stabilising vehicle bodies without controlling suspension arrangements
- B62D37/02—Stabilising vehicle bodies without controlling suspension arrangements by aerodynamic means
-
- 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)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
Abstract
A significant portion of fuel consumption of trucks is used to overcome aerodynamic drag and wind resistance. Many treatments have been applied to the front of truck surfaces and underneath trailers to improve vehicle aerodynamics. Aerodynamic drag is proportional to the square of velocity, and the power needed to overcome drag is proportional to the cube of velocity. This means that there is a very strong relationship between the speed that a vehicle is travelling, and the proportion of the fuel used to overcome drag. Tail fairings have been applied to the back of trailers to reduce drag. They are generally 2 to 3 feet long and are set at a converging angle in the range of 12 to 15 degrees. This angle creates issues in that the angled fairings cover upper indicator lights and get in the way of rear doors and require complex support structures. Many of theses systems deploy with the use of powered activation devices which adds to cost and complexity. This invention teaches the use of openings such as perforations and slots in the rear fairings so that they that do not necessarily converge but remain parallel to the side of the object being steam-lined. Air is metered through the openings to improve laminar flow, reduce air flow , turbulence and pressures over rearmost edges.
Description
Description There are a multitude of mechanisms available that reduce the aerodynamic drag on transport trucks.
The amount of fuel required to power these vehicles is reduced when drag is reduced. Aerodynamic drag is proportional to the square of velocity, and the power needed to overcome drag is proportional to the cube of velocity. This means that there is a very strong relationship between the speed that a vehicle is travelling, and the proportion of the fuel used to overcome drag.
There are two types of drag reduction mechanisms being used presently. Tail fairings that are generally 2 to 4 feet in width are mounted to the rear of trailers. They are mounted on the sides and the top of a trailer and converge at a 10-degree to 15-degree angle to reduce rear side turbulence and drag. They are folded out of the way so that rear doors can be accessed. They generally improve fuel efficiency by 5%. Fairing deployment is facilitated by manual or powered means. Some mechanisms are deployed when the vehicle reaches a prescribed velocity. These mechanisms require complex and costly structures and devices to deploy and retract. The fairings and their mechanisms operate in harsh elements, and bear forces and vibrations inherent with highway use which lead to greater levels of mechanical failure.
The second type of mechanism for drag reduction is a series of tabs at the tail edge of the vehicle that shape the airflow around said tail edge to reduce drag. This is not as effective as tail fairings as they increase the frontal area of the vehicle and do not extend the shape of the ensuing tail to the same degree.
This invention uses fairings that extend beyond the rear of the vehicle but do not necessarily converge at an angle to the top or sides or bottom. They are deployed essentially parallel to the face of the vehicle to which they are attached. The fairings are deployed on tracks or linkages or pivot pins or the like to extend beyond the tail edge of the vehicle. Since the fairings do not need to converge, the deployment mechanism is greatly simplified and may be powered, manual or wind powered with spring or weighted return.
The fairings have openings that allow some air to pass through the fairings to reduce turbulence over their rear edge, laminarize air flow and reduce drag. The openings may be slots, perforations or by screen segment(s).
The amount of fuel required to power these vehicles is reduced when drag is reduced. Aerodynamic drag is proportional to the square of velocity, and the power needed to overcome drag is proportional to the cube of velocity. This means that there is a very strong relationship between the speed that a vehicle is travelling, and the proportion of the fuel used to overcome drag.
There are two types of drag reduction mechanisms being used presently. Tail fairings that are generally 2 to 4 feet in width are mounted to the rear of trailers. They are mounted on the sides and the top of a trailer and converge at a 10-degree to 15-degree angle to reduce rear side turbulence and drag. They are folded out of the way so that rear doors can be accessed. They generally improve fuel efficiency by 5%. Fairing deployment is facilitated by manual or powered means. Some mechanisms are deployed when the vehicle reaches a prescribed velocity. These mechanisms require complex and costly structures and devices to deploy and retract. The fairings and their mechanisms operate in harsh elements, and bear forces and vibrations inherent with highway use which lead to greater levels of mechanical failure.
The second type of mechanism for drag reduction is a series of tabs at the tail edge of the vehicle that shape the airflow around said tail edge to reduce drag. This is not as effective as tail fairings as they increase the frontal area of the vehicle and do not extend the shape of the ensuing tail to the same degree.
This invention uses fairings that extend beyond the rear of the vehicle but do not necessarily converge at an angle to the top or sides or bottom. They are deployed essentially parallel to the face of the vehicle to which they are attached. The fairings are deployed on tracks or linkages or pivot pins or the like to extend beyond the tail edge of the vehicle. Since the fairings do not need to converge, the deployment mechanism is greatly simplified and may be powered, manual or wind powered with spring or weighted return.
The fairings have openings that allow some air to pass through the fairings to reduce turbulence over their rear edge, laminarize air flow and reduce drag. The openings may be slots, perforations or by screen segment(s).
Claims (13)
1. Panel(s) with openings mounted at the rear end of a moving vehicle where said panel(s) extends, wholly or in part, behind the end of the vehicle and is parallel to the face of the vehicle onto which it is attached.
2. Panel as in claim 1 where the openings are perforations
3. Panel as in claim 1 wherein the openings are slots
4. Panel as in claim 1 where in the openings are a screen material
5. Panel as in claim 1,2,3 and 4 wherein the panel is not parallel to the face of the vehicle onto which it is attached
6. Panel as in claim 1,2,3,4 and 5 wherein the openings are a combination of perforations, slots and screens or any combination thereof.
7. Panel as in claims 1 to 6 wherein said panel is movable from a position on the vehicle to a position where it wholly or partially extends beyond the trailing edge of the vehicle
8. Panel as in claims 1 to 7 wherein said panel is mounted to a track to facilitate deployment and retraction
9. Panel as in claim 1 to 8 wherein a surface is attached to catch wind that will deploy said panel so that extends beyond the trailing edge of the vehicle
10. Panel as in claims 1 to 6 and 8 wherein said panel is deployed to extend wholly or in part beyond the trailing edge of the vehicle and return with the use of a linkage assembly.
11. Panel as in claims 1 to 10 wherein said panels have a turbulation means on their surface to shape aerodynamic flow to diminish drag on the vehicle
12. Panel as in claims 1 to 11 wherein it may be retracted with a spring or weight.
13. Panel with openings that is a part of the rear portion of a trailer.
Plural may be singular and Singular may be plural in above claims
Plural may be singular and Singular may be plural in above claims
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA3051082A CA3051082A1 (en) | 2019-08-07 | 2019-08-07 | Method and apparatus to diminish aerodynamic drag on trucks, trailers and other moving vehicles |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA3051082A CA3051082A1 (en) | 2019-08-07 | 2019-08-07 | Method and apparatus to diminish aerodynamic drag on trucks, trailers and other moving vehicles |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA3051082A1 true CA3051082A1 (en) | 2021-02-07 |
Family
ID=74575212
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA3051082A Abandoned CA3051082A1 (en) | 2019-08-07 | 2019-08-07 | Method and apparatus to diminish aerodynamic drag on trucks, trailers and other moving vehicles |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA3051082A1 (en) |
-
2019
- 2019-08-07 CA CA3051082A patent/CA3051082A1/en not_active Abandoned
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Discontinued |
Effective date: 20220302 |