Abstract:
An underbody storage box assembly mountable beneath a vehicle body includes a storage box mountable to the underbody of the vehicle body, the storage box having a leading face and a trailing face in the direction of travel of the vehicle;. The assembly is provided with a pair of like-configured aerodynamic caps, one mounted at the leading face of the storage box and the other mounted at the trailing face of the storage box. Each of the aerodynamic caps includes opposite side panels, each having a substantially triangular shape with a rear edge abutting the storage box, a base edge that is substantially perpendicular to the rear edge, and a front edge that is arranged at an acute angle relative to the base edge. A front panel is connected between the opposite side panels at the front edge.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    This application is a utility filing from and claims priority to co-pending U.S. provisional application No. 62/181,810, filed on Jun. 19, 2015, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to drag reduction devices for land vehicles, such as trucks and tractor-trailer rigs. 
         [0003]    Fuel economy is a persistent concern for all land vehicles and is particularly acute for large vehicles such as trucks and tractor-trailer rigs. Fuel economy improvements have been achieved by innovation in engine design and improvements in fuel composition. However, the size and shape of the vehicles plays a substantial role in fuel economy. Ultimately, drag is the greatest enemy to fuel economy, with as much as 70% of the engine power devoted to cutting through the air in front of the vehicle. 
         [0004]    Drag is a force that resists the movement of a body through a fluid, whether the body is a baseball and the fluid is air, or the body is a swimmer moving through water. Drag is a function of two components—friction drag and pressure drag. Friction drag is a force that acts tangential to a surface of the body. Friction drag is increased by irregularities or roughness on the surface and decreased by making the surface more slippery. A clean truck cuts through the air more efficiently and with less friction drag than a dirty truck. 
         [0005]    Pressure drag is a force that acts perpendicular to a surface. Pressure drag is a function of the surface area in the direction of travel as well as the velocity or speed at which the body is traveling. Pressure drag increases as the square of velocity so that doubling vehicle speed actually creates four times more pressure drag. On the other hand, pressure drag is directly related to surface area so that a ten percent reduction in surface area leads to a ten percent decrease in pressure drag. 
         [0006]    For aerodynamically configured vehicles, such as airplanes, friction drag contributes more heavily to overall drag than pressure drag. However, for land vehicles, such as a typical tractor-trailer, pressure drag can be as much as ten times greater than friction drag due to the large frontal surface area of the truck. Unfortunately, the size of these types of vehicles is dictated by their function—hauling products or materials. Unlike passenger vehicles, the box-like shape of trucks cannot be significantly altered. A smaller frontal surface area means a smaller truck which means less cargo that can be hauled. Pressure drag in land vehicles, and especially in trucks, is increased by pressure “hot spots”, such as beneath the undercarriage, behind the rear of the trailer or between the tractor and the trailer. These hot spots are generally regions of low pressure which causes air flowing over the vehicle to deviate from a streamlined path around the vehicle. Vortices can form in these hot spots that significantly increase the pressure drag. 
         [0007]    In quantitative terms, if a square body has a drag coefficient (C D ) of 1.00, elongating the body into a rectangular shape reduces C D  to 0.80. Adding a rounded nose cuts the coefficient in half to 0.40. Adding a “boat tail” or a conical tail decreases C D  further to 0.20. It has been estimated that a 20% reduction in drag yields at least a 10% increase in fuel economy at highway speeds. For truckers and trucking companies, this increase in fuel economy means significantly reduced fuel costs year in and year out. For the environment, increases in fuel economy mean fewer deleterious emissions. A significant amount of effort has been expended in developing drag reduction technology for trucks. These efforts include streamlining the tractor, introducing seals, air deflectors or vortex generators in the gap between the tractor and trailer, and adding undercarriage skirts, guide vanes, air deflectors and boat tails to the trailer. Each of these modifications contributes in some measure to the overall drag reduction, so a fully optimized rig will incorporate a number of these improvements. 
         [0008]    However, all of these efforts have been directed to the tractor or trailer itself, and not to accessories associated with the vehicle. One common accessory is the underbody storage box, an example of which is depicted in  FIG. 1 . The storage box S is mounted to the frame F of the trailer T, either in front of the rear wheels W or in some cases between tandem rear wheels. The typical underbody storage box is 24 in. tall, 24 in. deep and 60 in. long. Not only does the square face of the storage box increase the overall pressure drag of the trailer, the storage box can also increase the turbulence of the airflow beneath the trailer. Not only does this increased turbulence add to the drag, it can also lead to increased road spray lateral to the trailer when traveling on wet or slushy roads. 
         [0009]    Consequently, there is a need for making the underbody storage box more aerodynamic to reduce the impact of the storage box on the overall drag of a trailer. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    An underbody storage box assembly mountable beneath a vehicle body includes a storage box mountable to the underbody of the vehicle body, the storage box having a leading face and a trailing face in the direction of travel of the vehicle;. The assembly is provided with a pair of like-configured aerodynamic caps, one mounted at the leading face of the storage box and the other mounted at the trailing face of the storage box. Each of the aerodynamic caps includes opposite side panels, each having a substantially triangular shape with a rear edge abutting the storage box, a base edge that is substantially perpendicular to the rear edge, and a front edge that is arranged at an acute angle relative to the base edge. A front panel is connected between the opposite side panels at the front edge. 
         [0011]    An aerodynamic cap is provided for mounting to an existing underbody storage box, in which the cap includes opposite side panels, each having a substantially triangular shape with a rear edge abutting the storage box, a base edge that is substantially perpendicular to the rear edge, and a front edge that is arranged at an acute angle relative to the base edge. A front panel is connected between the opposite side panels at the front edge. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portion of a trailer showing an underbody storage box mounted thereto. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a bottom wire view of a tractor-trailer with an underbody storage box and incorporating the aerodynamic features according to one aspect of the present disclosure. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a further bottom perspective view of a tractor-trailer with an underbody storage box and incorporating the aerodynamic features according to one aspect of the present disclosure. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of the underbody storage box shown in FIGS. 
           [0016]      1 - 2  incorporating the aerodynamic features disclosed herein. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of an aerodynamic cap shown in  FIGS. 2-4 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a three-dimensional model of a tractor trailer such as the tractor-trailer shown in  FIGS. 2-4  including an underbody storage box, with a computational flow dynamics representation of static pressure indicative of pressure drag on the vehicle in a baseline condition without any of the aerodynamic features disclosed herein. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is the three-dimensional CFD model of  FIG. 6  with an aerodynamic cap of the present disclosure added to the storage box. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8 a    is the three-dimensional CFD model of  FIG. 6  with an aerodynamic cap and strake of the present disclosure added to the storage box. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8 b    is an enlargement of  FIG. 8 a    centered on the storage box and aerodynamic features added to the box 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is the three-dimensional CFD model of  FIG. 6  with an aerodynamic cap and rear skin of the present disclosure added to the storage box. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is the three-dimensional CFD model of  FIG. 6  with an aerodynamic cap and rear skin of the present disclosure added to the storage box, and with the storage box moved forward adjacent to the landing legs of the trailer. 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is the three-dimensional CFD model of  FIG. 6  with an aerodynamic cap and rear skin of the present disclosure added to the storage box, and with the storage box moved forward adjacent to the landing legs of the trailer as in  FIG. 10  with the addition of the strake according to the present disclosure. 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the underside of a trailer with an aerodynamic cap at each end of an underbody storage box according to a further embodiment. 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is a side view of the storage box and aerodynamic caps shown in  FIG. 12 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the storage box and aerodynamic caps apart from the trailer. 
           [0028]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the storage box and aerodynamic caps shown in  FIG. 14 , with the storage box doors partially opened. 
           [0029]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the storage box and aerodynamic caps shown in  FIG. 14 , with the storage box doors fully opened. 
           [0030]      FIG. 17  is a perspective view of the storage box and aerodynamic cap shown in  FIG. 14 , with the front panel of the aerodynamic cap removed. 
           [0031]      FIG. 18  is a perspective view of the storage box and aerodynamic caps shown in  FIG. 14 , with an additional fairing mounted thereto according to a further embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0032]    For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in the following written specification. It is understood that no limitation to the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. It is further understood that the present disclosure includes any alterations and modifications to the illustrated embodiments and includes further applications of the principles disclosed herein as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains. 
         [0033]    A trailer T includes an underbody storage box S mounted to the frame of the trailer forward of the trailer wheels W, as is common in the trucking industry. The storage box S may be of any dimension, such as 24″ high by 24″ deep by 60″ long. In one aspect of the present disclosure, aerodynamic features are added to the storage box to reduce the drag effect of the box, as illustrated in  FIGS. 2-5 . In particular, a leading cap  10 , trailing cap  20  and strake  30  are affixed to the storage box S. As best shown in the enlarged view of  FIG. 4 , a cap  10  is affixed to the front face  50  of the box S, a second cap  20  is affixed to the rear face  51  of the box and the strake  30  is affixed to the bottom surface  52  of the box. 
         [0034]    In one feature, the front and rear caps  10 ,  20  can have the same construction, namely the construction shown in  FIG. 5 . The caps include a leading edge  14  and a trailing edge  12 . The leading edge  14  is linear while the trailing edge is in a U-shape that corresponds to the height and depth dimensions of the storage box S. The caps  10 ,  20  include a front panel  16  extending from the leading edge  14  to a transition panel  17 . Side panels  15  support the front panel and the transition panel and cooperate with the panels to define an interior space  18 . The side panels  15  are generally right triangular in shape, with the trailing edge  12  forming a 90° angle with the bottom edge  19  of the cap. The front panel forms an angle A with the bottom edge  19 , which angle can range from 20-60 degrees. In one embodiment, the angle A is about 35° which has been found to provide a smooth, non-turbulent transition for air flow across the caps  10 ,  20 . 
         [0035]    The side panels have a height corresponding to the depth of the storage box for the front cap  10  and corresponding to the height of the storage box for the rear cap  20 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the front cap  10  is oriented 90° offset relative to the rear cap  20 . In particular, the front panel  16  of the front cap  10  faces laterally outward relative to the trailer T, while the front panel of the rear cap  20  faces downward relative to the trailer. It has been found that this arrangement of the front cap assures a smooth transition of airflow around the storage box. This arrangement of the rear cap has been found to reduce turbulence of airflow exiting the storage box. For the typical storage box, the height and depth are the same. Consequently, the same cap can be used at the front and rear of the storage box, with the cap oriented accordingly. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, the leading edge  14  has a length of 24 in. and the side walls  15  have a height of  24  in. For a cap having an angle A of about 35° the bottom edge  19  has a length of about 39 in. The transition panel  17  is formed at a smooth radius to transition from the front panel  16  to the trailing edge  12 . In one embodiment, the transition panel is formed at a radius of about 39 in. 
         [0036]    It can be appreciated that for storage boxes having a rectangular face the height and width dimensions of the front cap  10  will vary from the rear cap  20 . Thus, for a box S that has a depth of 30 in., the height of the side walls for the front cap will equal that depth, while the width of the leading edge of the rear cap will equal the box depth. 
         [0037]    In a further aerodynamic feature of the present disclosure, a strake  35  is affixed to the bottom face  52  of the storage box S. The strake  35  is in the form of a thin rigid strip  35  projecting at a height H from the bottom face  52 . In one embodiment, an optimum height H for the strip is about 2 in. The strip  35  extends from the inboard forward corner  31  of the box to the outboard rearward corner  32 . The strake is thus oriented to direct airflow at the boundary layer of the storage box S laterally outward from the trailer T. For a typical 24×24×60 storage box, the strake will have a length of about 65 in. 
         [0038]    The caps  10 ,  20  and the strake  30  can be formed of a metal similar to the metal of the storage box S, or may be formed from a plastic that is capable of withstanding the environment. Thus, in one embodiment these aerodynamic components can be formed of aluminum sheet. However, other suitably rigid materials may be used that is corrosion resistant and that can withstand the dynamic loads experienced underneath a trailer at highway speeds. The caps and strake may be affixed to the storage box in a known manner, such as by welding. The caps and strake may also incorporate flanges that can be riveted or otherwise fastened to the storage box. As a further alternative, at least the caps can be integrated into the box construction. The caps  10 ,  20 , and particularly the front panel  16  may define a recess for receiving a polished or decorative insert plate. In one embodiment, the front plate  16  may incorporate a recessed perimeter into which the polished or decorative panel may be mounted. It is further contemplated that a side panel  15  may also incorporate a recessed perimeter to receive a correspondingly shaped insert, at least if the side panel is visible, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0039]    The drag reduction capabilities of the aerodynamic features disclosed herein can be seen by comparing the computational flow dynamics (CFD) simulations in  FIGS. 6-11 . The baseline static pressure experienced by the tractor-trailer is shown in  FIG. 6 . It can be seen that the static pressure, which is indicative of the magnitude of pressure drag, is the greatest at the front face of the storage box S and at the front of the wheels W.  FIG. 7  shows the CFD model for a storage box with the front and rear caps  10 ,  20  added. It can be seen that the static pressure on the front face  16  of the front cap  10  is significantly less than in the baseline configuration. In addition, the static pressure is more uniform across the front face  16  than across the front face of the storage box in the baseline configuration. Moreover, the region of negative pressure across the side and bottom walls of the storage box is more pronounced with a greater negative pressure than for the baseline configuration. It can also be seen that the static pressure on the wheels is also slightly reduced from the baseline configuration. The reduction in static pressure attributable to the caps  10 ,  20  can be calculated to about a 1.9% reduction in drag. 
         [0040]      FIGS. 8 a , 8 b    show the CFD model for a storage box having the caps  10 ,  20  as well as the strake  40 . The combination of these aerodynamic features on the storage box leads to a calculated 7% reduction in drag from the baseline configuration. 
         [0041]    In an alternative configuration, the rear cap may be replaced with a rear skin  40  that extends from the side wall of the storage box rearward toward the wheels W, as shown in  FIG. 9 . The rear skin may be an integral extension of the side wall of the storage box itself. The rear edge  41  of the skin may be closely disposed relative to the wheel with a cut-out for clearance for the wheel. This configuration yields a 3.1% reduction in drag from the baseline configuration. 
         [0042]    When the storage box is moved forward and the skin  40  extended back to the wheels W, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the drag reduction is 6%. It can be appreciated that rather than extending the skin from a single storage box at the front of the trailer, a second storage box can be added. Adding a strake  30 , as shown in  FIG. 11 , produces an even greater drag reduction at 10.3% over the baseline configuration. 
         [0043]    In another embodiment, shown in  FIGS. 12-14 , a pair of aerodynamic caps  50 ,  50 ′ is mounted to the leading and trailing ends of a storage box S on a trailer T, as in the previous embodiment, except that the trailing cap  50 ′ is oriented differently than the trailing cap  20  shown in  FIG. 3 . As in the previous embodiment, the two caps  50 ,  50 ′ are identically constructed, each including a front panel  54 , side panels  52 , a base panel  56  and a rear panel  58 . The front panel is oriented at an angle A relative to the base panel  56 , which angle can be about 35° as in the previous embodiment. The rear panel  58  is at substantially a right angle to the base panel  56  and the front edge  57  of the opposing side panels  52  are defined at the angle A, with the front panel  54  connected to the side panels at the front edge. 
         [0044]    The rear panel  58  may be used to affix the cap  50  to the storage box S, as depicted in  FIG. 17 . In particular, the rear panel  58  maybe bolted directly to the end wall of the storage box. Alternatively, the rear panel  58  may be eliminated, as in the aerodynamic cap  10  shown in  FIG. 5 , with the cap mounted to the storage box by brackets. 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIGS. 12 and 14 , the trailing cap  50 ′ is oriented so that the base panel  56  faces outward, rather than inward as with the leading cap  50 . The base panel  56  of the trailing cap  50 ′ thus provides a continuation surface relative to the storage box S. The airflow is thus directed by the angled front panel  54  of the leading cap  50 , follows the face of the storage box S and continues along the base panel  56  of the trailing cap  50 ′ to flow over the rear wheels W of the trailer. This arrangement of the trailing aerodynamic cap  50 ′ thus reduces aerodynamic drag caused by the rear wheels of the trailer. 
         [0046]    Returning to  FIG. 14 , the profile of the caps  50 ,  50 ′ are modified relative to the caps  10 ,  20  in the previous embodiment. In particular, the front panel  54  terminates at a trailing edge and the side panels  52  terminate at truncated edges  53 , in essence removing the apex of the triangular shape of the side panels. The typical storage box S includes a pair of doors D that swing outward from hinges H. Due to the configuration of the doors and their hinges, the doors can swing through 180° so that in their fully open position, shown in  FIG. 16 , the doors extend essentially straight across the storage box. In this case, the doors would otherwise contact the trailing edge of the front panel. Thus, in the caps  50 ,  50 ′ the front panel  54  terminates at a trailing edge  61  and the side panels  52  terminate at truncated edges  53 , in essence removing the apex of the triangular shape of the side panels. This truncated apex thus provides space for the doors D to be fully opened, as in  FIG. 16 . 
         [0047]    Since the angled flow directing surface of the front panel  54  is interrupted, the aerodynamic cap  50  is provided with a component  60  to span the gap between the trailing edge  63  and the side of the door D of the storage box S. In one embodiment, the component  60  can be a flexible skirt that is affixed to the front panel edge  63  and to door D at edge  62 . In another embodiment, the component  60  is a living hinge with one hinge panel  64  fastened to trailing edge  63  and another hinge panel  65  affixed to the edge  62  of the door D. The two hinge panels  64 ,  65  are connected at a joint  63 . The living hinge component  60  is formed of a stiff but bendable material so that as the door D is opened, as shown in  FIG. 15 , the hinge panels flex at the joint  63 , as well as the edges  61 ,  62 . As the living hinge flexes the panels move inward into the cap  50 , making room for the door D when it reaches its fully opened position shown in  FIG. 16 . The component  60  is configured to substantially follow the plane of the front panel  54  when the doors D of the storage box are closed, as in  FIG. 14 , so that the component continues the aerodynamic drag reduction effect of the front panel. In certain embodiments, the component may not be exactly co-planar with the front panel buy nevertheless the component will define a smooth aerodynamic transition from the front panel to the storage box door. The component can be deformed when the doors are open since the vehicle is not moving at that time. 
         [0048]    In a further feature, the aerodynamic caps  50 ,  50 ′ may be augmented by an additional fairing  70  mounted to the upper side panels  52  of the caps, as shown in  FIG. 18 . The fairing  70  includes a leading panel  72  that is arranged at an angle that is preferably parallel to the angle of the front panel  52 . The fairing  70  further includes a trailing panel  74  that extends parallel to the trailer to help direct airflow across the rear of the trailer. 
         [0049]    The fairing may be affixed to the mounting brackets B used to mount the storage box S to the vehicle, as shown in  FIG. 18 . Moreover, the fairing  70  is preferably fastened to the aerodynamic caps  50 ,  50 ′ at the opposite ends of the storage box. The fairing thus not only serves to direct airflow, but also serves to support the aerodynamic caps that are essentially cantilevered from the ends of the storage box. The fairing  70  may thus incorporate a flange  78  that enables attachment to the corresponding caps  50 ,  50 ′ in a conventional manner, either by welding or my mechanical fastener. It is contemplated that the cantilevered caps may be fastened to the storage box by a cantilevered plate, in lieu of the fairing, that is fastened to the storage box and fairing. 
         [0050]    The present disclosure should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood that only certain embodiments have been presented and that all changes, modifications and further applications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected.