Quote:
Originally Posted by ERTW
Is a 20' long 2 passenger vehicle practical?
The basic shape is an idealisation. The better the basic shape, the better the final car. One of Morelli's stipulations was that it have practical internal volume for passengers and their baggage (his main reason for avoiding the tear drop). I've uploaded the basic shape (Cd 0.071) and the wheeled car (0.177).
I want to reemphasize that this paper is 35 years old. I'll get to posting his 2000 paper. I'm intrigued by his "fluid tail technique".
I did some CFD with a shape inspired by his latest work. I got a wedge shape within a few counts of a 2.5:1 ellipse (0.174). however, I've come to believe that the results were invalid. I'll post a full report when I can.
Like the MB bionic car pointed out, current frames are inefficient. Neural networks and genetic algorithms are whittling away at frame/body to decrease weight, maximise internal volume, and reduce drag. Technology that has not yet been created will shape the cars of the future. Reading over recent SAE papers, they're still struggling to model rotating wheels, and how air moves within internal cavities. It will happen within a few years imo.
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I agree on the timeline.Theoretical mathematicians worldwide are networking and building off the state-of-the-art as soon as it is published or lectured.
Just a few years seems to make quantum leaps.Snow-balling!
And wind tunnels are very expensive to operate when the same work can be done in a virtual domain.
It's a really exciting time to be around.
