Method and apparatus for reducing drag and noise for a vehicle

• US 7,318,619 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2005
• Issued: 01/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Munro & Associates, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Munro & Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Mazurkiewicz, Andrew J., Munro, Alexander S.
• Primary Examiner(s): PAPE, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US11/033,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20050163963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 296/180.1, 296/180.2, 296/180.3, 296/180.4, 296/180.5, 244/198, 244/200, 244/99.12, 244/133, 244/130, 244/123.1, 428/90, 416/223.R, 114/67.R
• US Class Current: 296/180.1
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 1/36 using mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 21/10 using other surface properties, e.g. roughness
• CPC Class Codes: F15D 1/12 by influencing the boundary layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/005 Damping of vibrations; Means for reducing wind-induced forces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/10 Drag reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/10 Measures concerning design or construction of watercraft hulls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23929 Edge feature or configured or discontinuous surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/23943 Flock surface

Abstract

A body part including a surface having a fluid flow thereover. The body part also includes flocking coupled to at least a portion of the surface that adjusts an aerodynamic characteristic relative to the surface that is devoid of the flocking.

Claims

1. A body part comprising:

a surface having a fluid flow thereover;

flocking coupled to at least a portion of said surface that adjusts an aerodynamic characteristic relative to said surface that is devoid of said flocking; and

at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said aerodynamic characteristic includes lift and said flocking is coupled to at least said portion of said surface to increase said lift produced by said airfoil for a predetermined range of angle of attack.

2. The body part of claim 1, wherein said aerodynamic characteristic includes drag and said flocking is coupled to at least said portion of said surface decreases said drag thereover.

3. The body part of claim 1, wherein said aerodynamic characteristic includes noise and said flocking is coupled to at least said portion of said surface decreases said noise therefrom.

4. The body part of claim 1, wherein said aerodynamic characteristic includes volumetric flow over said surface and said flocking is coupled to at least said portion of said surface increases said volumetric flow thereover.

5. The body part of claim 1, wherein said flocking includes one of a yarn density, a flocking density and combinations thereof selected to adjust said aerodynamic characteristic.

6. The body part of claim 1, wherein said flocking includes a dimension defining a length selected to increase said lift, said length includes a length distribution and wherein said length distribution is one of uniform and non-uniform.

7. The body part of claim 1, further comprising at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said aerodynamic characteristic includes a lift to drag ratio and said flocking is coupled to at least said portion of said surface to increase said lift to drag ratio experienced by said airfoil for a predetermined range of angle of attack.

8. The body part of claim 7, wherein said flocking includes a dimension defining a length, said length includes a length distribution selected to increase said lift to drag ratio for said predetermined range of angle of attack.

9. The body part of claim 1, further comprising at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said airfoil includes a leading edge and a trailing edge and said flocking includes fibers oriented at an angle acute to said surface such that a base of said fibers is positioned toward said leading edge and a tip of said fibers distal from said base is positioned toward said trailing edge.

10. The body part of claim 1, further comprising at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said airfoil includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein said flocking includes fibers oriented at an angle acute to said surface such that a tip of said fibers is positioned toward said leading edge and a base of said fibers distal from said tip is positioned toward said trailing edge.

11. The body part of claim 1, further comprising at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said aerodynamic characteristic is a transition point from laminar flow to turbulent flow and said flocking is coupled to said portion of said surface and located near said transition point.

12. The body part of claim 11, wherein said flocking coupled to said portion of said surface located near said transition point delays one of the transition from said laminar flow to said turbulent flow, separation of said turbulent flow from said airfoil and a combination thereof.

13. The body part of claim 1, further comprising at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said aerodynamic characteristic is a transition point from laminar flow to turbulent flow and said flocking is coupled to said portion of said surface and located near a leading edge.

14. The body part of claim 13, wherein said flocking coupled to said portion of said surface located near said leading edge delays one of the transition from said laminar flow to said turbulent flow, separation of said turbulent flow from said airfoil and a combination thereof.

15. The body part of claim 1, wherein said flocking includes fibers randomly distributed over said portion of said surface.

16. The body part of claim 1, wherein said flocking includes fibers made of material selected from the group consisting of cotton, nylon, rayon, polyester, polyethylene, polyamide, acrylic, glass, coal, metal, carbon fiber, and combinations thereof.

17. The body part of claim 1, wherein said flocking includes fibers made of nylon 66.

18. The body part of claim 1, wherein said flocking includes fibers having a dimension that defines a length in a range of about 0.3 millimeters to about 5 millimeters.

19. The body part of claim 1, wherein said flocking includes fibers having a yarn density in a range of about 1.7 decitex to about 22 decitex (about 1.5 denier to about 19.8 denier).

20. The body part of claim 1, wherein said flocking includes fibers having a flocking density in a range of about 50 fibers per square millimeter to about 300 fibers per square millimeter.

21. The body part of claim 1 further comprising at least a portion of an airplane having said surface wherein said aerodynamic characteristic includes drag and said flocking coupled to at least said portion of said airplane decreases said drag thereover.

22. The body part of claim 1 wherein said flocking includes a dimension defining a length selected to adjust said aerodynamic characteristic and wherein said length changes along said surface.

23. The body part of claim 1 wherein said flocking includes a characteristic defining one of width, flocking density, yarn density and combinations thereof selected to adjust said aerodynamic characteristic and wherein said one of said width, said flocking density, said yarn density and said combinations thereof is based on localized fluid flow characteristics.

24. The body part of claim 1 wherein said localized fluid flow characteristics includes a boundary layer height.

25. The body part of claim 1, in combination with a vehicle.

26. A body part comprising:

a surface having a fluid flow thereover;

flocking coupled to at least a portion of said surface that adjusts an aerodynamic characteristic relative to said surface that is devoid of said flocking; and

at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said aerodynamic characteristic includes a lift to drag ratio and said flocking is coupled to at least said portion of said surface to increase said lift to drag ratio experienced by said airfoil for a predetermined range of angle of attack.

27. The body part of claim 26, wherein said flocking includes a dimension defining a length, said length includes a length distribution selected to increase said lift to drag ratio for said predetermined range of angle of attack.

28. The body part of claim 26 in combination with a vehicle.

29. The body part of claim 26, wherein said flocking includes fibers randomly distributed over said portion of said surface.

30. A body part comprising:

a surface having a fluid flow thereover;

flocking coupled to at least a portion of said surface that adjusts an aerodynamic characteristic relative to said surface that is devoid of said flocking; and

at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said airfoil includes a leading edge and a trailing edge and said flocking includes fibers oriented at an angle acute to said surface such that a base of said fibers is positioned toward said leading edge and a tip of said fibers distal from said base is positioned toward said trailing edge.

31. The body part of claim 30, in combination with a vehicle.

32. The body part of claim 30, wherein said flocking includes fibers randomly distributed over said portion of said surface.

33. The body part of claim 30, wherein said flocking includes fibers having a flocking density in a range of about 50 fibers per square millimeter to about 300 fibers per square millimeter.

34. A body part comprising:

a surface having a fluid flow thereover;

flocking coupled to at least a portion of said surface that adjusts an aerodynamic characteristic relative to said surface that is devoid of said flocking; and

at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said airfoil includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein said flocking includes fibers oriented at an angle acute to said surface such that a tip of said fibers is positioned toward said leading edge and a base of said fibers distal from said tip is positioned toward said trailing edge.

35. The body part of claim 34, in combination with a vehicle.

36. The body part of claim 34, wherein said flocking includes fibers randomly distributed over said portion of said surface.

37. The body part of claim 34, wherein said flocking includes fibers having a flocking density in a range of about 50 fibers per square millimeter to about 300 fibers per square millimeter.

38. A body part comprising:

a surface having a fluid flow thereover;

flocking coupled to at least a portion of said surface that adjusts an aerodynemic characteristic relative to said surface that is devoid of said flocking; and

at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said aerodynamic characteristic is a transition point from laminar flow to turbulent flow and said flocking is coupled to said portion of said surface and located near said transition point.

39. A body part of claim 38, wherein said flocking coupled to said portion of said surface located near said transition point delays one of the transition from said laminar flow to said turbulent flow, separation of said turbulent flow from said airfoil and a combination thereof.

40. A body part at claim 38, in combination with a vehicle.

41. A body part comprising:

a surface having a fluid flow thereover;

flocking coupled to at least a portion of said surface that adjusts an aerodynamic characteristic relative to said surface that is devoid of said flocking; and

at least a portion of an airfoil having said surface wherein said aerodynamic characteristic is a transition point from laminar flow to turbulent flow and said flocking is coupled to said portion of said surface and located near a leading edge.

42. A body part of claim 41, in combination with a vehicle.

43. A body part of claim 41, wherein said flocking includes fibers randomly distributed over said portion of said surface.

44. A body part comprising:

a surface having a fluid flow thereover;

flocking coupled to at least a portion of said surface that adjusts an aerodynamic characteristic relative to said surface that is devoid of said flocking; and

at least a portion of an airplane having said surface wherein said aerodynamic characteristic includes drag and said flocking coupled to at least said portion of said airplane decreases said drag thereover.

45. A body part of claim 44, in combination with a vehicle.