Quote:
Originally Posted by Vman455
For those interested in buying this (those who care, I suppose), it looks like there are at least three editions--1996, 2001, and 2009. I was only able to find the 3rd ed. on eBay, which I just bought, but the 1st and 2nd are available through the Abe Books link JulianEdgar posted or on Amazon.
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I think you'll enjoy it.
I read the book a very long time after I first got interested in car aero, and (in the context of all the other aero books I'd already read) I thought: wow, this guy writes so clearly!
I also like the 'key points' approach that he takes at the end of each chapter.
I guess it says it all that he was my first pick to act as a tech consultant when I wrote my aero book. I was absolutely delighted when he agreed*, and I have never regretted that decision.
The feedback from other professional aerodynamicists (feedback that I have received since my book has been published) is that Dick Barnard is also well-known and well-respected in the profession.
As I said, the info in his book is much more accessible than most SAE tech papers (and books like Hucho), so in the real world, it's likely to be far more useful to people modifying their cars.
* Interesting sidelight for people interested in writing books, etc. Before Dick agreed to work with me, he requested copies of some of my published material. He read the material, then proceeded to pull it apart very precisely. (For example: a
stagnation point - as I had described it - is on a car, not a
point - it is a
zone. Airflow on a car with a rough underbody doesn't
run into things, it
causes a change in behaviour that results in positive pressure. And so on. All very good!)