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Old 08-23-2009, 06:13 AM   #32 (permalink)
cfg83
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aerohead -

Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead View Post
I think they are lowering both the leading and trailing edges rather than raising the roofline.Daimler-Benz is too smart to believe adding frontal area could benefit drag.Trailer flow is typically fully attached with conventional trailer design.Their 95-square-foot wake is the issue which lowering would address.------------ PS "teardrop" is used out of context,as in a real teardrop form,the sides would be converging in direct proportion to the drop of the roof.
They are claiming "10% additional load space", so I think it is bigger on the whole. They are also stating bigger frontal area here :

Increased Load Space And The Effect on Aerodynamics
Code:
                 STANDARD   TEARDROP
                 TRAILER    TRAILER    % VARIANCE
Speed 56mph 
(constant m/s)    25.03      25.03     
             
Cd: Drag 
Coefficient 
(est)               0.7       0.4        -42.86
             
Width               2.55      2.55    

Height              4.0       4.5

Frontal Area       10.2      11.48        12.5

Fd 
(Force of drag) 2,742.08  1,762.77       -35.71
In terms of practicality, I think this is a "from land-to land" design. It' won't work on container ships and double-decked trains can only allow them on the "top bunk", so to speak.

CarloSW2
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