Aerocivic 95 MPG

[Aaron]

aerodynamics

Those tiny trapezoid wings work, I've seen some tests on those. They chop
the eddy current drag into smaller whirls.

But the ram implosion wing, those have been around for a long time but
I still haven't seen air tunnel tests, etc... to show anything. I'd really like
to see what it is doing to the air because I'd use one of those things
even if it is a little obnoxious just to make a statement. lol

Sucahyo, have you seen any tests with these other than testimonials?

[sucahyo]

No. I never see it.

However, it is interesting that the user never compare it with standard aero wing. Maybe because it do not give significant result over standard aero wing.

Based from dust behavior testimony it seems to be no different from usual aero modification. Standard wing also reduce dust and reduce wind drag. It also reduce the amount of dust stick in the rear body/window. We can see it clearly on diesel car like Isuzu panther which smoke a lot. With wing the smoke do not accumulate in the rear and intrude into car cabin. An Isuzu Panther without wing modification suffer solar smell inside the cabin.

Based from the need of tuning the device placement, I guess the device do not have wind acceleration feature. If the device work by accelerating wind, it should work where ever it place on top of the car isn't it? If the location relative to rear end is important then it work primarily to reduce wind drag at the rear just like other after market wing.

I think gizmo team should compare the tail with aero wing too.


As spesific instruction not to make the wing smooth, IIRC Boeing jumbo jet get 15% more mileage by adding micro hole in the wing. Maybe from NASA technology of mimicking shark skin.

This is the image I could find, usually there is hollow at the bottom of the wing too:



Wired article also mention pulse and glide to get 99mpg.
Driving technique: exploring 'Pulse and Glide' - MetroMPG.com

Pulse and glide works like this: let's say you're on a road where you want to go 60 km/h. Instead of driving along at a steady 60, you instead accelerate to 70 (that's the pulse), and then coast in neutral with the engine off down to 50 (that's the glide). That's it. Rinse and repeat. And repeat. And repeat...

By doing this, you're still averaging 60 km/h, but it turns out that pulse and glide is significantly more efficient than driving along maintaining a steady 60 km/h.

If you're like me, it seems completely counter-intuitive. You're asking, "how can that possibly be more efficient than maintaining a steady speed in the highest possible gear?" After all, it violates one of the main commandments of efficient driving: conserving momentum.

I think the tiny trapezoid wing is also exist on race car wing, helm or suit as directing bump in either parallel or perpendicular way.


As for the rim, instead of covering the rim half way, I think using a rim that suck air from car bottom to outside is better. Lower air pressure at bottom will add downforce and flow from the rim prevent air from being trapped in the wheel area. However, it will be the opposite if the mechanic install left and right rim backward .

[1NRG24Seven]

Mere childs play. In 1973 at the annual Shell oil companies contest, a highly modified Opel set the worlds record with 376.59 miles per gallon at Wood River,Illinois. This is real fuel savings. Good Luck. stealth

Years ago I read in a book that the worlds record for gas milage was set by a japanese guy with his modified Honda. That record was 6,097 miles to the Imperial gallon of gasoline, which is aprox 1 liter more then a US Gallon. So I went to a bookstore to look up worlds record for fuel mileage in Guiness and sure enough it was there listed at 6,097 miles. This was around 1989 when I found out about it. Possel a tesla turbine manufacturer contacted the japanese guy who would not disclose how his vehicle would achieve that, but did confirm the use of a Tesla Turbine was apart of his system.

Good Day!!!...24

[Aaron]

6097

Can you find any reference to this 6097mpg car online anywhere?



If you look at the humpback whale tail, you can see it is not straight
across. If used for airplane wing with that rear end shape, it increases
lift at lower speeds and other efficiency benefits.

[1NRG24Seven]

Aaron, what I posted was the only two references I know of, have never checked online. I would think such a vehicle would be very dangerous to International Oil Cartels. It blew me away and still does. Think of the implications, if 6,097 mpg is the record, then we are not even coming close to utilizing the potential in a gallon of gas.

[sucahyo]

I can not find the helm design that use bump to reduce back flow. I don't know its name. All I know is:
- it use three bump in parallel
- it reduce helm resistance to air and reduce neck pain on high speed
- it is patented
- only available on certain brand
- never see it on TV race

Maybe someone has better luck finding it.....

I see the wind tunnel testing of this helmet on beyond2000 or something around 90's. It looks better than this:


For anyone interested in MIT cycling helmet wind tunnel test result:
DSpace@MIT : Benchmark of aerodynamic cycling helmets using a refined wind tunnel test protocol for helmet drag research

[sucahyo]

For uneven surface video, 10% more mileage:
YouTube - Mythbusters S07E14 Dirty vs Clean Car HDTV Part 5 of 5.mp4

or
VIDEO: Mythbusters test golf ball-like dimpling effect on fuel economy (*Spoiler Alert!*) — Autoblog

MEGAVIDEO - I'm watching it


The technology is callled shark-skin, where Navy and Airbus (not Boeing like I mention before) try to implement it:
boeing "shark skin" - Telusuri dengan Google
airbus "shark skin" - Telusuri dengan Google

only 1%
Article: Shark skin for airliners - Mechanical Engineering | HighBeam Research - FREE trial

Two Airbus Industrie A340 airliners are being used to test a specially ribbed plastic film that cuts aerodynamic drag when it is attached to aircraft surfaces. The skin is covered with tiny ridges called riblets that create numerous small vortices that reduce surface turbulence. The film, developed by 3M of St. Paul, Minn., is expected to decrease fuel consumption by 1 percent.

http://www.iea-ia-amt.org/psds/20%20...20Nov%2006.pdf




can be 10%:
http://www.festo.com/INetDomino/files_01/FNews77.pdf

One bionic development that has already been put to use and has proved itself in multiple practical applications is synthetic shark skin. It all
began in the 1970s when a German Palaeontologist made a rather co-incidental discovery During his observation of certain species of fast swimming sharks, he noticed that the scales demonstrate fine furrows which run in the direction of the flow of water.

Despite the fact that classical theory maintains that any irregularities at the surface increase friction, laboratory tests have proven that these longitudinal furrows significantly reduce friction (experiments demonstrated
reductions of 10 to 11%).

In response to this discovery, 3M, the American manufacturer of film products, developed a self adehsive, fluted film based upon the natural archetype.

Applied to aircraft, the film substantially reduces friction and thus allows for fuel savings of up to a maximum of 4%.

This has been demonstrated in test flights with an Airbus A320, which had been partially covered with the synthetic shark skin. Depending upon the size of the aircraft and its annual operating hours, kerosene consumption can be reduced by 50,000 to 150,000 litres per year.

Why a speeding shark is like a golf ball - life - 07 November 2008 - New Scientist

Shortfin mako sharks can shoot through the ocean at up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometres an hour). Now a trick that helps them to reach such speeds has been discovered - the sharks can raise their scales to create tiny wells across the surface of their skin, reducing drag like the dimples on a golf ball.

New hull coatings for Navy ships cut fuel use, protect environment (w/Video)

New hull coatings being developed by the US Office of Naval Research are showing promise in reducing the build-up of marine crustaceans -- namely barnacles -- on ships' hulls, optimizing vessel performance and dramatically reducing fuel costs. Credit: Office of Naval Research.
...
The Naval Surface Warfare Center at Carderock estimates that biofouling reduces vessel speed by up to 10 percent. Vessels can require as much as a 40 percent increase in fuel consumption to counter the added drag. For the Navy, that translates into roughly one billion dollars annually in extra fuel costs and maintenance to keep its ships free of barnacles, oysters, algae and other debris..
...
Brennan discovered that the unique pattern of shark skin contributed to its ability to fend-off microorganisms.

With this insight, Brennan started modeling shark skin patterns in his lab. The idea led to the development of a new biomimetic technology called Sharklet, which has shown extremely positive results in inhibiting marine growth. The significance of his work really hit home during a visit to Pearl Harbor.

"I saw a Navy ship going by ... flowing with green algae," Brennan said. "I thought that's why we are doing this research, to stop that biofouling … to give our Navy the ability to perform at a higher level."

misc aero improvement:
AIAA - Aerospace America Online - FLUID DYNAMICS ENTERS THE 21ST CENTURY - As fluid dynamics progresses from science to engineering, dramatic advances in aerodynamics become possible, wherein form truly follows function.