'Whale Tubercles" cut drag 32% on wings.

[Logic]

Originally Posted by freebeard

It' still page one for me, until Post #41.

I showed the Lotus Eleven, here's the Volkhart Sagitta. The whole cabin is a tubercle.



One of these rendered in fiberglass would drop right onto my 1971 Beetle floorpan. Do those front turn signal housings act as a fence or windsplit?

There cant be one...



You see the half, then 2, then another half of those turbulent 'bubbles, that the Z there is kinda pointing at?
Well if 2 lumps/bumps are the car's wheelarches and nose inbetween; then the cabin is where the trubulence normally would be, but laminar flow should? continue further back than normal around the cabin..?

The Tubercle effect might...might..? reduce drag a bit..?
(This is just deduction based on the above pics and we're talking aerodynamics here!)

Where tubercles might come into their own are on taller velomobiles etc.
Especially 2 wheeled and tilting ones.
ie: A 'vertical wing' that stalls gradually... giving time to react!
It'd be nice to see video of enclosed aero motorbikes etc where there's signs of a breeze in the background!

The only real use in a car I can think of is if you have a tubercled rear wing for downforce.
It'll be effective through a wider speed range.
Any others?

Interesting none-the-less!

The FlappaDoodats might make a much shorter, normally stalled/turbulent airflow, 'Boat Tail' possible.
One that you can park, doesn't steer you and weighs less.

DBD takes power, but the research still points to a win.
Then there's the Cool Factor of glowing electricey Zebra Sripes on the back/sides of your car!
If these things are doing double duty as 'Tail Lights' thats some free aero...