Quote:
Originally Posted by Sven7
If this isn't it, the thing uses the same principle.
Here's the Banks Sidewinder. Notice the half tonneau.
The next question is, why? It would seem that this opening would impede the vortex that leads high speed air over the virtual template. |
Sven7,I have the patent in hand.U.S.Patent No.4,573,730,'DRAG REDUCING PARTIAL TONNEAU FOR PICKUP TRUCK,' by Theodore R. Gondert,and Richard A. MacDonald,Assignee: General Motors Corp.,Detroit,Michigan.Filed:May 16,1984,Date of Patent: Mar. 4, 1986.
After going back through the text of it,they make no mention of the physics involved,only that the 50% tonneau demonstrates lower drag than the 100% length.
At some point I'll re-visit the Texas Tech paper 'n see if they talk it out.Whatever it is,it revolves around the locked-vortex and how the outer flow is playing over that.
If I had no expectations of what I thought the air would prefer to do,I'd have a lot less trouble with reality.
