Pickup Truck Aerodynamics - CFD Study Chevy S10

[jviolet10]

Edit: Just realized i posted this on the wrong forum. Sorry everyone!!!!

[ennored]

I see some dimensions in the quick drawing, but no notation for the radius of the arc. Know what it is? Height of the truck (~65") would suggest an arc of about 30' in radius. Are you anything close to that?

Just curious. Looks good...

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by jviolet10

The main issue I see people having is to much of an angle so I'm going for a modest slope to a 12.5deg angle at the tailgate.

Welcome to Ecomodder, it sounds like you'll fit right in.

Those people you refer to all started with the minimal (safe from separation) angle of 12.5° and then went searching for a maximum (w/o separation).

kach22i's innovation is to reduce the weight, cost and complexity of a full canopy to that of a full tonneau and half a boogie board. This has attracted attention for two people who invested their own time and energy in documenting the performance in CFD. I say

You might start that thread before the build. A lot of people start a thread with something like "Here's my brick with edges as sharp as a Lego, now how do I slather aerodynamics all over it?" You could avoid that.

You have a single two-dimensional line, where do you go from there? What materials?

What I'm liking lately is wakeboard control arms.



These range 5-8ft, I eventually bought most of them. They are very light tempered aluminum. The 5-footers might serve for a rear edge, with the 8-footers longitudinal. I paid (maybe) $10-15 each. Here I'm considering a boat tail on my Superbeetle:



Also, considering what you do with that single curve, here's a pickup canopy on the only pickup I had laying around in 3D. It presents additional frontal area at the front to absorb any turbulence or incipient vortexes coming off the cab and maximize interior volume. Not a good fit to the cab, though.



The solution to that is squircular; but I'm going to give kach22i back his thread now.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by jviolet10

From what I intend to do (unless someone here shoots me down first lol), it can easily be modified to add a wing to further break the air off the truck or extend the topper to the tailgate (when down) to further the potential gains available to you. Anything really, there is a lot you can do once you have an initial successful design.

Degrees of ease (assuming full cap/ canopy):

1. Build square/flush with upright tailgate.

2. Extend the top plane only.

3. Extend in 3D, open the tailgate and place an aero-box there or build all as one.

Here is example #3- sort of, in diagram form.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...hts-22378.html


Each one of the options above becomes increasingly time consuming and increasing difficult to get right. However if you start with option-1, you can gradually add on. Aerohead's T-100 is an excellent example of this.

I would not try a wing at the tail, it would just be asking to get vandalized. However a "Box Cavity" would be a little more durable. Do a forum search, several examples or at least studies of possible projects have been posted.

[freebeard]

The wing would be Okay, just put it at the bottom and add longitudinal fences and a trailer hitch.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by freebeard

The wing would be Okay, just put it at the bottom and add longitudinal fences and a trailer hitch.

I thought the wing he was talking about was similar to a roof wing, only installed as an extension of the Aero-Cap. See option-2 below.

[freebeard]

I was picturing a ricer wing. Carry on.

[Shortie771]

That poor Lotus...

[Daschicken]

That's a really cool opportunity you had! Does this aerodynamicist have any aero mods on their car?

[Shortie771]

Looks like someone has made a roof spoiler for my car, by modifying a Civic EG Hatch spoiler to fit a Del Sol. They were doing it for styling, but wonder if it improved aerodynamics. I would definitely try this if I got my hands on a EG spoiler.

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