Aerodynamic skirts for land vehicles

• US 8,899,660 B1
• Filed: 02/16/2014
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Praskovskaya, Eleanor, Praskovsky, Alexander, Praskovsky, Andrew
• Original Assignee: Praskovskaya, Eleanor, Praskovsky, Alexander, Praskovsky, Andrew
• Inventors: Praskovskaya, Eleanor, Praskovsky, Andrew, Praskovsky, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): LYJAK, LORI LYNN
• Application Number:
  US14/181,694
• Time in Patent Office: 289 Days
• Field of Search: 296/180.1, 296/180.4
• US Class Current: 296/180.4
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/001 For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans

Abstract

The invention provides an aerodynamic system and a method for controlling airflow over a land vehicle by self-adaptive aerodynamic means alternatively to essentially impenetrable obstructions. The system comprises at least one aerodynamic skirt disposed under the vehicle body. Each aerodynamic skirt is an assembly of airflow-controlling elements forming a surface of the skirt. The elements obstruct only a part of the surface area and create openings over the remaining part of the area. The airflow-controlling elements are configured to reduce the vehicle air drag and mitigate detrimental impacts of side winds on the vehicle by generating optimum air streams over the openings and away from the openings, creating backward air streams under the body and generating aerodynamic vortex shields.

Claims

1. In combination with a land vehicle having a body disposed above wheel assemblies and being configured to move relative to a surrounding air in a generally horizontal plane parallel to a surface of the land and being subject to an air drag, side forces and side moments due to a relative velocity between the vehicle and the air, a system to be mounted underneath the vehicle body and configured to reduce the air drag, the side forces and the side moments as the land vehicle moves relative to the surrounding air, the system comprising:

at least one aerodynamic skirt disposed under said body of the vehicle, said skirt comprising;

an assembly of airflow-controlling elements arranged to form a surface of said skirt, said airflow-controlling elements obstructing a part of an area of said surface;

said assembly having unobstructed openings occupying a part of said area which is not obstructed by said airflow-controlling elements; and

said assembly being disposed and configured to control adaptively an injection of the surrounding air under the body of the vehicle in accordance with the relative velocity between the vehicle and the air and to reduce the air drag, the side forces and the side moments acting on the vehicle;

wherein at least one of said airflow-controlling elements having unobstructed gaps in its surface; and

said unobstructed gaps being disposed and configured to inject small-scale vortices and air jets under the body of the vehicle and intensify small-scale turbulent mixing under the body to reduce further the air drag, the side forces and the side moments acting on the vehicle.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one aerodynamic skirt is one of a plurality of aerodynamic skirts strategically disposed underneath the vehicle body and configured to reduce the air drag, the side forces and the side moments as the vehicle moves relative to the surrounding air.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said assembly is formed from at least one airflow-controlling element.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said at least one airflow-controlling element is one of a plurality of airflow-controlling elements strategically disposed to form said assembly.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said assembly includes at least one vortex generator separate from said airflow-controlling elements and disposed to impose vorticity component on the surrounding air.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said at least one vortex generator is one of a plurality of vortex generators disposed strategically to impose vorticity component on the surrounding air.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said assembly being disposed and configured to produce backward air streams with negative air drag under said body of the vehicle in accordance with the relative velocity between the vehicle and the surrounding air and reduce the air drag of the vehicle.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said assembly being disposed and configured to control adaptively an injection of the surrounding air under the body of the vehicle over a larger area than said area of said surface of the skirt in accordance with the relative velocity between the vehicle and the air and reduce the air drag, the side forces and the side moments acting on the vehicle.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said assembly being disposed and configured to reduce detrimental impacts of a side wind on said land vehicle, the side wind is defined as airflow around a vehicle at non-zero yaw angle.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said airflow-controlling elements are disposed and configured to reduce own aerodynamic drag of said skirt and side forces acting on the skirt.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said airflow-controlling elements is adjustably mounted for adjusting a position and configuration relative to said body of the vehicle.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said at least one airflow-controlling element is one of a plurality of airflow-controlling elements adjustably mounted for adjusting positions and configurations relative to said body of the vehicle.

13. A method for reducing aerodynamic drag, side forces and side moments for a land vehicle having a body disposed above wheel assemblies and being configured to move relative to a surrounding air in a generally horizontal plane parallel to a surface of the land and being subject to said air drag, side forces and side moments due to a relative velocity between the vehicle and the air as the land vehicle moves relative to the surrounding air, said method comprising steps of:

creating at least one adaptive aerodynamic barrier between a volume under said body of the vehicle and the surrounding air;

providing at least one aerodynamic skirt disposed under said body of the vehicle to create said at least one adaptive aerodynamic barrier;

providing said aerodynamic skirt comprising an assembly of airflow-controlling elements arranged to form a surface of said skirt, said airflow-controlling elements obstructing a part of an area of said surface;

providing openings in said surface of the assembly occupying a part of said area of said surface which is not obstructed by said elements;

disposing and configuring said assembly to create said aerodynamic barrier to control adaptively an injection of the surrounding air under the body of the vehicle in accordance with the relative velocity between the vehicle and the air for reducing the air drag, the side forces and the side moments acting on the vehicle;

intensifying small-scale turbulent mixing under said body of the vehicle to reduce further the air drag, the side forces and the side moments acting on the vehicle;

injecting small-scale vortices and air jets under said body of the vehicle to intensify said small-scale turbulent mixing; and

disposing and configuring unobstructed gaps in a surface of at least one of said airflow-controlling elements to inject said small-scale vortices and air jets under the body of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least one adaptive aerodynamic barrier is one of a plurality of aerodynamic barriers created under said body of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13 further providing at least one vortex generator separate from said airflow-controlling elements for enhancing an efficiency of said aerodynamic barrier, said vortex generator being disposed within said assembly to impose vorticity component on the surrounding air.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said at least one vortex generator is one of a plurality of vortex generators separate from said airflow-controlling elements and disposed strategically within said assembly to impose vorticity component on the surrounding air.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said assembly being disposed and configured to reduce further the air drag of the vehicle by producing backward air streams with negative air drag under said body of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said assembly being disposed and configured to reduce the air drag, the side forces and the side moments acting on the vehicle by controlling adaptively an injection of the surrounding air under the body of the vehicle over a larger area than said area of the skirt.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein said assembly being disposed and configured to reduce detrimental impacts of a side wind on said vehicle, the side wind is defined as airflow around a vehicle at non-zero yaw angle.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein said airflow-controlling elements are disposed and configured to reduce own aerodynamic drag of said skirt and side forces and side moments acting on the skirt.