Quote:
Originally Posted by IsaacCarlson
I have been working on this for a while and finally made a small scale prototype. I started wondering why most of the other covers I have seen have square-ish edges/corners. A don't think a cap should have corners....they make turbulence when the air tries to go around them. It should instead be round to allow the air to simply expand and merge back together to fill the void behind the vehicle. This is what I came up with. I like to think aerodynamics in 3-D. Please let me know what you think.
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Isaac,the square-ish bedcovers probably offer the highest potential for usable interior space,aiming at 'utility.'
The corners themselves may not be so much a problem if the flow velocity aside,and on top of the roof are matched properly.You'll find many 'minimalist' streamliners at Bonneville with rather square intersections.
If you're going to transition from a square corner to a radius you'll need to pay very close attention to vorticity which might be induced if your shape is improper.( too fast of a transition ).
Tuft testing can tell you if you've improved the flow,or added a new problem while solving an old one.
Your model looks pretty good,but better if mounted on a model vehicle of same scale.
The 'host' vehicle will determine the architecture of the modification,not vice versa.