Interesting Aerodynamic Cars (Mike Vetter's ETV, also Avion)

[aerohead]

If I start with a Cd 0.10 solar race car, like the 1993 HONDA Dream, and then begin to discount it's streamlining, item -by-item, without finishing, I'm up to Cd 0.335, for:
*lack of body sides camber
*lack of roof camber
*lack of all upper-body edge radii
*probable diffuser flow separation
a 235-count penalty.
I've got a few more things to consider.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In 1993, the #34 WSC finisher, 'Mainichi-Go', had Cd 0.32.
#37 finisher,' Discovery 500' was Cd 0.45.
Both cars look remarkably more 'streamlined than 'Hammerhead.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perhaps by Thursday, I'll be able to wrap up my 'guestimation'.

[freebeard]

Jocko Johnson's streamliners came between porting heads and his wooden sculptures.

[freebeard]

Don Garlits' Wynns-liner was originally the Moonliner.

"Craft of Speed" Mooneyes Documentary Trailer #1

Want more? The Making of Craft of Speed (Mooneyes Documentary)

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Jocko Johnson's streamliners came between porting heads and his wooden sculptures.

Years ago, I searched online, and never found any aero test data for either car, from folks who were personally involved with them.
As far as I know, the, circa 1987, Arrivett Brothers, NHRA Double-A Fuel Streamliner is the only dragster to undergo actual wind tunnel tests.

[aerohead]

I've done about as much damage as I can on 'Hammerhead.'
* Factoring in the 'upright' windshield, the drag climbed to Cd 0.3766.
* Factoring in the 'catamaran' type wheel fairings, they brought the Cd up 0.4192.
* The photovoltaic 'canards' on either side of the cabin will degrade Cd a bit more, but without actual exterior dimensions, it's folly to attribute any quanta to them, other than an estimated Cd 0.83, based upon their frontal area, plus an interference 'excrescence' penalty.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These numbers are just a 'shootin' from the hip' estimate.
I found test examples from 14-sources which isolated single attributes to specific 'features' drag, empirically tested in the past, and converted their observed 'counts' penalty, to a percentage Cd degradation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I 'like' ALL solar race cars, and I'm glad for the entire student body and teaching staff involved in the ' Hammerhead' project.

[freebeard]

Top-chopped ice cream truck


justacarguy.blogspot.com: Yosemite Park and Curry Company delivery truck in a Yosemite Valley campground in August 1937

[freebeard]

Chrysler’s 1934 Airflow revolutionized car aerodynamics—our wind-tunnel tests prove it | Driving.ca

First half of the story validates 'faster backwards'. Then they brag about their rolling road but do a static test of the Airflow.

Result is 10% better, not the 40% Chrysler claimed. But you might notice a wiper delete.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

First half of the story validates 'faster backwards'. Then they brag about their rolling road but do a static test of the Airflow.

Result is 10% better, not the 40% Chrysler claimed. But you might notice a wiper delete.

Wow!
They had every opportunity to give us a frontal area and coefficients, and let us do what we wanted with the raw data.
Alex Tremulis, I believe, reported that the 'backwards' DeSoto was around Cd 0.64 ( 'forwards' ).
He reported the Chrysler Airflow, at Cd 0.51.
Carl Breer's DeSoto Airflow aerodynamic test mule achieved as low as Cd 0.244 ( a 61.8% drag reduction from the 'backward's' car ), as finally reported in the SAE Paper, 4-months before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
And Walter Chrysler 'hated' the Airflow. It's the reason Stellantis-Chrysler won't do 'aerodynamics' even today.
Rick Anieros ( sp? ) of Chrysler has said something to the effect of:
' We're not about to make the most aerodynamic vehicle that nobody would buy.'

[sgtlethargic]

1956 Citreon C10 prototype:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%...1956_-_004.jpg

----


I tried inserting an image via a link and it's not working.

This link, bounded by IMG tags(?), didn't work:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...1956_-_004.jpg

[C4Evermore]

Pics of my streamlined RX7. This thread was inspiring