Air foil construction

• US 4,421,354 A
• Filed: 01/07/1982
• Issued: 12/20/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SEPCO Corp.
• Original Assignee: Sepco Enterprises Incorporated
• Inventors: Lemaster, Glenn A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US06/337,741
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 296/1 S, 296/91, 105/2 R
• US Class Current: 296/180.2
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/001 For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans

Abstract

An air foil having a general shape of a half pyramid, but wherein when mounted in place, its rear edges are vertical. Such rear edges terminate in tapered marginal flanges which are angularly related to the remainder of the structure for air deflection purposes. This air foil can be cab mounted or mounted on the trailer in front of the dolly. Another form of air foil comprises a spoiler for the rear upper corner of a trailer. A further air foil comprises an air deflector for the bumper of a highway vehicle.

Claims

1. An air foil for the cab of a highway tractor having a box-like trailer:

a foil structure having a pair of panels disposed at a substantial acute angle relative to one another to provide a substantially straight edge for cleaving into the air traveled by the vehicle,

means for mounting the air foil structure on the roof of the tractor cab with the edge facing forwardly but at an acute angle to the horizontal and to the vertical,

the rear edges of said panels lying in a vertical plane,

said air foil structure having an opening formed in its nose portion to facilitate entry of air into said air foil structure,

the rear margins of said panels terminating in outwardly flaring flanges for deflecting air laterally,

said flanges tapering in width so as to decrease in size from the upper portions thereof to the lower portions, so that air deflection increases as the displacement of the flange from the sides of the trailer increases.

2. An air foil as described in claim 1, in which the angle formed by said outwardly flaring flanges with said panels varying proportionately to the distance of the tractor from the trailer.

3. A foil as recited in claim 2 wherein said flanges make an angle with the associated panels of between 25°

and 55°

.

4. A foil as recited in claim 1, wherein the size of the opening, when projected on a transverse vertical plane, is approximately 1/33 of the area of the foil, as projected on said plane.

5. An arrangement for lessening the air drag on a wheeled dolly comprising an air foil structure having a pair of essentially triangular panels angularly related to one another and joined at one pair of edges to define a straight edge,

another pair of edges constituting the base of said air foil structure,

the remaining pair of edges defining rear edges of said air foil structure,

means for mounting said air foil structure in a position with the base uppermost and just forward of a wheeled dolly and in a position to cleave the air which would otherwise be directed onto said dolly and for deflecting said air outwardly laterally,

the nose of said air foil structure being truncated to define an opening for the passage of air into said air foil structure,

the rear margins of said panels terminating in outwardly flaring flanges for air deflection,

said flanges tapering in width so as to increase in size from the base portion downwardly so that air deflection increases as the displacement of the flanges from the planes containing the faces of the tires of said dolly increases.

6. An arrangement as recited in claim 5, wherein said foil is on the underside of a body supported by the dolly, and projects downwardly more than one-half the distance between the underside of the body and a supporting roadway,

said foil being located forwardly of said dolly a distance greater than the height of the foil, but less than twice such height,

said foil being formed so as to deflect air laterally a sufficient extent, that upon return it engages the side faces of the wheels and tires of the dolly.