AeroTruck

[Bicycle Bob]

I don't see any advantage to raising the load space. The tunnel area already has compromised streamlining, so why move into clear air instead? If you add length instead, the law bites you.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by aerohead

The center-of-gravity looks a little spooky,if I'm interpreting the underside of the vehicle correctly.

Loads are regularly carried above large super-single wheels on many European trucks and trailers.

In a conventional truck the engine would be in the "tunnel", lowering the CoG.
But there's usually no such low-positioned mass on the trailer.

In a hybrid Tunnel-truck, the generators, fuel, batteries and electric engines could be in the tunnel walls, also lowering the CoG.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by aerohead

The photo of the tractor-trailer is not real,yes?
I'm highly suspect of the authenticity of this image.

I don't know.

On their website however, they caption it as a "Wind-tunnel illustration" - but it could well be an enhanced image bases on their wind tunnel observations .

[aerohead]

Abner,I've looked over everything I have including buses and tractor-trailers and it's my opinion,that for your vehicle's Length-to-Height ratio,and it's general layout,that Cd 0.235 would be a reasonable minimum.
With a complete tail she might get to Cd 0.175.
Your form is essentially a 'Gavre' artillery projectile with added truncated boat-tail.
The nose and body,in free air would be Cd0.20
In ground proximity this would rise to Cd 0.40.
Adding 'skinny' wheels and tires would push it to Cd 0.44.
I allowed a 16.5% drag reduction for the catamaran wheel fairings and with your truncated boat-tail ending at 51% of frontal area she slips to Cd 0.235.
I would recommend you cut your lead wheel fairings back to something like 1.3 X tire width.Extending forward as they do,they can act like rudders in a wind gust,and under compromised weather conditions could introduce stability issues.
Frank Lockhart was killed in the Stutz Black Hawk which had such fairings and they are blamed for the crash.

[BamZipPow]

[Abner]

Originally Posted by euromodder

Nice design.

If you curve the top of the truck, it should improve Cd even further.



It is however a registered design by Don-Bur , with patent pending.

That improvement doesn't apply in my truck design. In Europe, the maximun height is 4 meters. I have used instead the "Kamm effect" truncated boat tail:

[Abner]

[Abner]

Originally Posted by aerohead

The photo of the tractor-trailer is not real,yes? I've seen enough actual and photographic windtunnel smoke investigations that I'm highly suspect of the authenticity of this image.

I think this is not real, It's FAKE

[Abner]

Originally Posted by euromodder

Loads are regularly carried above large super-single wheels on many European trucks and trailers.

In a conventional truck the engine would be in the "tunnel", lowering the CoG.
But there's usually no such low-positioned mass on the trailer.

In a hybrid Tunnel-truck, the generators, fuel, batteries and electric engines could be in the tunnel walls, also lowering the CoG.

Yes

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Abner

That improvement doesn't apply in my truck design. In Europe, the maximun height is 4 meters.

How high is your truck design ?

Don-Bur is British, so they also have to keep within 4m.