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Old 05-01-2015, 08:34 AM   #3 (permalink)
ThomCat316
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Join Date: Sep 2012
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So, to use a thousand words where one lousy drawing would suffice:

I will be using a Dodge Dakota as the tow vehicle, and will be modifying it for a bit more aerodynamic efficiency. The nose of the trailer will be fitted as tight as can be reasonably achieved to the cab, with gap fillers installed. The nose of the trailer will match both cross-section and plan view of the cab, and increase gradually to the max "box" dimensions of "less than 7 ft." height above ground by 82" wide, then tapering back down (and up, starting at the wheels) to a 6' wide by 4' tall tail.

The intuitively obvious observation is that "sharp roof edges bad", but all the modelling I've found is for semitrailers and it doesn't show induced vortices being generated over those long sharp corners. I know that radiusing semitrailers is a non-starter due to the cargo constraints, so there's not going to be a lot of study there anyway.

My real question is one of ease of construction and maximization of interior storage space. I'll have eight feet in the middle that will have a flat roof and could have from near-zero to about 6" radius from the roof to the sides, with benefits to the cabinet space on the interior accruing with smaller radii. I'm trying to gather any information to indicate what order of magnitude this induced drag might have, if any, so I can balance needs vs. economy.
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