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Old 10-15-2011, 04:30 PM   #218 (permalink)
orbywan
EcoModding Apprentice
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Tucson, AZ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead View Post
We just scanned and compressed some image files for the rig.
There's a shot from Bonneville( yes I got there after World of Speed had concluded) where I spent a little time at Mike Cook's 'Shootout.'
The Poteet/Main 'Speed Demon' had run 462-mph on a 1-way pass,blew the engine,and were in process of swapping engines while I was there.
Also,Terry Nish was there with the family's Royal Purple streamliner(386.387 M.P.H.).I got some boat-tail shots for another thread.
The rest of the shots are just various views,some during disassembly,showing some of the panel articulation.
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The tufts are in areas which I could see through the mirrors.
*The top panel showed very good straight-back flow in spite of the gap between panel and trailer top.
*The side panels exhibited rearward,but 'nervous' quaking of the tufts.Hucho warns that a boat-tail won't properly function unless the air to it is 'perfect,'I'm convinced.
*The underside did not allow viewing,and since the transition bellypan was incomplete,I must presume that the flow under there is also aggravated.
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Ozone has been eating all the rubber on the truck and both power-steering hoses were breaching on the trip.My apology to you all and the planet.
The upshot is that as the drops of fluid fell,the airstream painted the rearward portions of the rig.
From examination of the oil-streaking,flow attachment is surprisingly good,pushing the droplets backwards from all leading edges ( like the Corvette Stingray model in the CalTech Guggenheim tunnel).
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You can see from the photos that a 'gap' still remains for the sides/bottom/leading-edge of top-panel.Flow-fence areas on trailer will be turbulent.Tailight fenestration,without Plex. is turbulent.2009 wheel fairing damage at drivers side adds turbulence.T-100 rear wheel fairings are absent.Front wheel skirts ( planned but never fabricated) are absent.
Plenty to do,along with higher speed tests for comparison to T-100 records.
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I'm still reducing the trip data and will report on that in future post.
For 335,000-miles of database,the highest-ever recorded mpg for the T-100 has occurred with the trailer,so I guess she's worth finishing and final tests.
Good stuff Phil. I see why it took so many hours to get it to this point. That's a lot of trial and do it over again. Sometime when you have the time I'd love to see a photo or two of the truck and trailer halfway through a turn so we can see how the panels articulate some.

I'm looking forward to towing my boat with the boat tail in place to see how it effects towing mileage, and I might try an articulated panel on either side since the side of boat is so smooth and steady for roller surfaces.

I know it's your last priority, or not at all, but when you get this combination dialed in it would be great to do a paint job with some graphics that really made the two vehicles look like one unit. Just thinking out loud.
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