Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Full-boat-tail trailer with gap-fillers for Toyota T-100 pickup

aerohead · 08-08-2009, 02:38 PM

Al's busy so I'll tap the keys with additional netsam.Hope to have photos up shortly.----------------------------------- I've been turning over many rocks for the "science" of trailers,and there is nothing so far in the public domain for what I'm attempting but let me share some of the things I've come across to explain the trailers theory of operation: (1) the trailer shape is matched specifically to that of the towing vehicle. (2) there is no drag-creating "distance" between the vehicle-trailer combination. (3) there is no frontal area penalty due to the trailer's symtechotic( symbiotics of machines?) full-draft,wake-filling architecture. (4) there is no trailer nose aerodynamically-induced pitching moment to affect vertical tow-bar loading. (5) trailer leading-edge radii are increased to infinity,as they forward across the gap-filler bridge,continuing along the flanks of the towing vehicle all the way to the vehicle's nose,prohibiting trailer-nose-induced yawing moments during crosswind driving. (6) the "full","air-tight" articulated gap-fillers eliminate interference-drag between vehicle-trailer,customarily found in conventional "gap" configurations by providing a unitary and un-broken continuous flow support surface from the tow-vehicle nose rearward to the trailer tail. (7) The unitary configuration allows all the benefits of "slipstreaming," "draughting," "drafting," "formation-driving," and "convoy-driving," reducing drag of both the towing vehicle as well as the trailer. (8) the "pumpkin-seed" form achieved by the vehicle/gap-filler/trailer combination virtually eliminates profile drag ( form-drag ) by preventing any aftbody boundary-layer flow separation-induced turbulent wake formation. (9) the remaining 5% wake area obviated by the inclusion of tail lamps and license plate establishes the "phantom-wake" boat tail terminus,as reported on by Kamm,Korff,Morelli,Heinkel,Arado,etc.. (SUMMARY) The gap-filler/full-boat-tail trailer combination provides one avenue to explore the far reaches of the low-drag universe and energy efficiency obtainable when drag coefficients approach orders of Cd 0.12 in the real world.

08-08-2009, 02:38 PM	#25 (permalink)
aerohead Master EcoModder Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Sanger,Texas,U.S.A. Posts: 16,286 Thanks: 24,410 Thanked 7,372 Times in 4,771 Posts	PROJECT UPDATE#3 (Theory behind invention) Al's busy so I'll tap the keys with additional netsam.Hope to have photos up shortly.----------------------------------- I've been turning over many rocks for the "science" of trailers,and there is nothing so far in the public domain for what I'm attempting but let me share some of the things I've come across to explain the trailers theory of operation: (1) the trailer shape is matched specifically to that of the towing vehicle. (2) there is no drag-creating "distance" between the vehicle-trailer combination. (3) there is no frontal area penalty due to the trailer's symtechotic( symbiotics of machines?) full-draft,wake-filling architecture. (4) there is no trailer nose aerodynamically-induced pitching moment to affect vertical tow-bar loading. (5) trailer leading-edge radii are increased to infinity,as they forward across the gap-filler bridge,continuing along the flanks of the towing vehicle all the way to the vehicle's nose,prohibiting trailer-nose-induced yawing moments during crosswind driving. (6) the "full","air-tight" articulated gap-fillers eliminate interference-drag between vehicle-trailer,customarily found in conventional "gap" configurations by providing a unitary and un-broken continuous flow support surface from the tow-vehicle nose rearward to the trailer tail. (7) The unitary configuration allows all the benefits of "slipstreaming," "draughting," "drafting," "formation-driving," and "convoy-driving," reducing drag of both the towing vehicle as well as the trailer. (8) the "pumpkin-seed" form achieved by the vehicle/gap-filler/trailer combination virtually eliminates profile drag ( form-drag ) by preventing any aftbody boundary-layer flow separation-induced turbulent wake formation. (9) the remaining 5% wake area obviated by the inclusion of tail lamps and license plate establishes the "phantom-wake" boat tail terminus,as reported on by Kamm,Korff,Morelli,Heinkel,Arado,etc.. (SUMMARY) The gap-filler/full-boat-tail trailer combination provides one avenue to explore the far reaches of the low-drag universe and energy efficiency obtainable when drag coefficients approach orders of Cd 0.12 in the real world.