High-performance car with streamline configuration-altering air jets

An embodiment of a high-performance car having a car body; at least one member for cooling; at least one cooling duct extending between an inlet opening and an outlet opening, both formed through the car body, to conduct outside cooling air through the member for cooling; and at least one blow duct which terminates at a blow opening, formed through the car body, to direct an air jet which interacts with the airflow about the car body to alter the streamline configuration of the car; the blow duct originates at an initial portion of the cooling duct, upstream from the member for cooling, and has a deflecting device which can be activated to divert at least part of the air in the cooling duct to the blow duct.

This is a continuation-in-part application which claims priority from PCT/IB2006/001953, published in English, filed Jul. 6, 2006, based on Italian patent Application No. BO2005A000457, filed Jul. 8, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a high-performance car with streamline configuration-altering air jets to reduce drag and/or control road-holding and balance of the car.

BACKGROUND

Streamlining of high-performance cars at times poses conflicting requirements: high-speed cornering requires a negative-lift aerodynamic force on the car body to increase the vertical load and hence the cornering force of the tires, which, however, is accompanied by drag which limits the maximum speed achievable. Good road-holding and low drag can be achieved using adjustable streamlining surfaces, which change shape as a function of the speed of the car. More specifically, at very high speeds, never encountered when cornering, they are positioned to minimize drag, whereas, at lower speeds, they are positioned to maximize negative lift and so achieve maximum road-holding performance.

Adjustable streamlining surfaces, however, may pose numerous drawbacks: to be effective, they often must be fairly large, which normally conflicts with aesthetic requirements; they may require a mechanically strong, and therefore heavy, high-cost, support and actuating system to withstand aerodynamic stress; and, finally, being exposed to weather, they may call for fairly frequent maintenance to ensure consistent performance.

To alter the streamline configuration of a car at high speed, it has also been proposed to use air jets which interact with the airflow about the car. In other words, by blowing air through the car body, it is possible to interact with the airflow about the car to reduce the form drag component and so alter the streamline configuration of the car as a function of operating conditions, without actually altering the external shape of the car.

Known air jet systems, for altering the streamline configuration of a car at high speed, however, may be bulky and heavy, and so increase weight—often a serious drawback in the case of high-performance cars—and may reduce the space available inside. Moreover, power consumption by the air fans employed is typically far from negligible, and is subtracted from the drive wheels. And finally, electric fans may call for oversizing the alternator on the car, thus further increasing overall weight.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of the present invention is a high-performance car with streamline configuration-altering air jets, which is cheap and easy to produce and, at the same time, provides for eliminating the aforementioned drawbacks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Number1inFIG. 1indicates a car marketed by Ferrari S.p.A. by the name “Enzo”, and comprising a car body2; two front driven wheels3; two rear drive wheels4; and an internal combustion engine5housed centrally in an engine compartment6adjacent to a passenger compartment7.

Engine5has a cooling circuit comprising two front radiators8close to the nose of car1, and two rear radiators9on opposite sides of engine compartment6.

As shown inFIG. 2, each front radiator8is located along a cooling duct10which, in use, conducts outside cooling air through front radiator8to cool it. Each cooling duct10extends between a substantially vertical inlet opening11formed through a front bumper of car body2, and a substantially horizontal outlet opening12formed through a front boot lid of car body2.

Each cooling duct10is connected to a blow duct13, which originates at an initial portion of cooling duct10, upstream from front radiator8, and terminates at a blow opening14, formed through a bottom portion of car body2, to direct an air jet which interacts with the airflow about car body2to alter the streamline configuration of the car. As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, each blow opening14is formed at the bottom of car body2, just in front of a front wheel3, and is oriented longitudinally downwards with respect to car body2.

As shown inFIG. 2, blow duct13has a deflecting device15, which can be activated to divert part of the air in cooling duct10to blow duct13. More specifically, deflecting device15is movable between a rest position (shown by the dash line inFIG. 2) in which deflecting device15does not interfere with the airflow along cooling duct10, and a work position (shown by the continuous line inFIG. 2) in which deflecting device15diverts part of the air in cooling duct10to blow duct13. Each deflecting device15comprises a movable deflecting member16mounted inside cooling duct10to divert part of the air in cooling duct10to blow duct13. When deflecting device15is set to the rest position, movable deflecting member16is housed inside a seat17, formed along cooling duct10, so as not to interfere in any way with the airflow along cooling duct10.

In an embodiment, each deflecting device15comprises a movable guard member18which, when deflecting device15is in the rest position, is embedded seamlessly at the bottom of car body2, and, when deflecting device15is in the work position, projects vertically downwards from the bottom of car body2, in front of front wheel3and just upstream from blow opening14. Movable guard member18and movable deflecting member16are hinged to rotate about respective parallel axes of rotation under the control of the same electric actuating device (not shown).

During normal use of car1, each deflecting device15is moved from the rest to the work position when the speed of car1exceeds a given threshold, so as to alter the streamline configuration of car body2. To protect engine5at all times, each deflecting device15is maintained in the rest position when the temperature of respective front radiator8(or of the coolant circulating in front radiator8) exceeds a given threshold.

As shown inFIG. 4, engine compartment6is fitted with two cooling ducts19(only one shown inFIG. 4), each of which conducts outside cooling air through engine compartment6to cool it. Each cooling duct19extends between a substantially vertical inlet opening20formed through a bottom portion of a side panel of car body2, and a substantially horizontal outlet opening21(shown inFIGS. 1 and 7) formed through a rear bonnet of car body2.

Each cooling duct19is connected to a blow duct22, which originates at an initial portion of cooling duct19, upstream from engine compartment6, and terminates at a blow opening23, formed through a rear portion (in particular, a rear bumper) of car body2, to direct an air jet which interacts with the airflow about car body2to alter the streamline configuration of the car. As shown inFIGS. 4 and 7, each blow opening23is formed at the rear of car body2, and is oriented horizontally and longitudinally with respect to car body2.

As shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, blow duct22has a deflecting device24, which can be activated to divert all the air in cooling duct19to blow duct22. More specifically, deflecting device24is movable between a rest position (shown by the continuous line inFIG. 6) in which deflecting device24does not interfere with the airflow along cooling duct19, and a work position (shown by the dash line inFIG. 6) in which deflecting device24diverts all the air in cooling duct19to blow duct22. Each deflecting device24comprises a movable deflecting member25mounted inside cooling duct19to divert all the air in cooling duct19to blow duct22. When deflecting device24is set to the work position, movable deflecting member25is housed inside a seat26, formed along blow duct22, so as not to interfere in any way with the airflow along blow duct22.

During normal use of car1, each deflecting device24is moved from the rest to the work position when the speed of car1exceeds a given threshold, so as to alter the streamline configuration of car body2. To protect engine5at all times, each deflecting device24is maintained in the rest position when the temperature of engine compartment6exceeds a given threshold.

In a further embodiment not shown, deflecting device15and/or deflecting device24may also be set to one or more intermediate positions between the work position and the rest position.

An advantage of the above embodiment lies in using part of the existing cooling air on car1to generate air jets which interact with the airflow about car body2to alter the streamline configuration of the car. Research, in fact, shows that, at very high speed, far more cooling air is used than is actually needed for cooling purposes; which means part of the air which would normally be used for cooling may advantageously be used to generate air jets which interact with the airflow about car body2to alter the streamline configuration of the car. In other words, at very high speed, air which would normally only be used for cooling is also used to enhance streamlining of the car.

Optimum air-jet performance may thus be achieved with no recourse to external power sources, but by simply controlling the energy of the cooling air at high speed differently and more efficiently.

In an alternative embodiment not shown, a blow duct with a deflecting device of the type described may originate from a brake cooling duct of a front wheel3and/or a rear wheel4.

In an alternative embodiment not shown, a blow duct with a deflecting device of the type described may originate from a cooling duct of a rear radiator9.

In the case of a cooling duct of engine compartment6or a brake cooling duct, the respective deflecting device may divert all the air in the cooling duct to the respective blow duct, seeing as cooling of engine compartment6or brake cooling is not normally required at very high speed. Conversely, in the case of a radiator of engine5, which typically must be cooled at all times, the respective deflecting device may only divert part of the air in the cooling duct to the respective blow duct.

Location of blow openings14and23as described above is based on CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) calculations, which show that, in car1as shown in the accompanying drawings, half the drag is generated by the area close to the front fender and by the base. Simulation results show a possible 25% reduction in the drag of car1by virtue of blow openings14and23.

More generally speaking, blow openings14and23and/or other differently located/oriented blow openings may be used to alter the streamline configuration of the car to reduce drag and/or control road-holding and balance of the car.