Evening star., 1933-05-21
FUTURE AUTOS MAY
HAVE BUG SHAPE
Bureau of Standards Studies
Means of Reducing Wind
Resistance.

The automobile of the future is likely
to look very much like giant lady
bug
Such is the indication from air tunnel
tests of various stream-line models
conducted at the Bureau Of Standards.
Such car, the tests indicate, might
require as much as 10 per cent less
gas for the same speeds as conventional
models now on the market, or go that
much faster. The models experimental
with, it was emphasized by DR.. Hugh
L. Dryden, in charge of the windtunnel
work, are suitable for passenger cars
with maximum speeds of under 100
miles an hour and not for racing cars,
where the extremely high speeds OBJ
tanned bring about various complica-
tions.
Most Efficient Model
The most efficient of the models is
inclosed, wheels and all, with a body
very close in appearance to the chitin-
GUS shell of the ladybug and has no
tenders or projections Of any kind. It
is so designed that not only the push
against the wind but the drag of the
air is reduced to a minimum, and is
based on long-continued studies of air
resistances in the wind tunnel. The
ideal shape, DR.. Dryden explained,
would be something like a cigar, but
the advantage would be Offset by neces-
sity of introducing various gadgets to
keep it from turning over.
| Automobile power Is consumed. Dr.
! Dryden said In overcoming two kinds
of resistance. First in the friction
| against the road and In the turning Of
/ the wheels themselves Second is the
resistance of the air At low speeds
the latter is not very important. Al
about 40 miles an hour it is nearly
equal to the friction while at about 80
miles an hour it constitutes about
three-fourths of the total resistance.
Many efforts at stream-line COM
struction in the past. Dr.. Dryden said,
have failed to accomplish much be-
cause of the idea that all that was
necessary was to present a knifelike
edge in front to to the air, like boat.
| Windtunnel experiments have shown
that in addition the lines must be such
that the air will settle in orderly fashion
behind the car Otherwise there viii
be an air drag that may more than
Offset the decreased resistance In front
and there will be no real gain. The
ideal would be attained If the air re-
manned entirely undisturbed in the wake
of speeding auto. .
Models Shown at Fair.
The car models have been made I'D
as part of a Bureau of Standards ex-
hibit at the Century of Progress Exhi-
bition in Chicago. He was concerned
almost entirely, DR. Dryden said, in
decreasing air resistance and ignored
some of the technical difficulties Of con-
struction which might make such a
| car impractical. With the ladybue
model it would be necessary to have
the motor in the rear It might also
be necessary to have a radically diff
ferent gear system and deviations from
| the lines might be required to save
| the car from turning over easily or the
front wheels from leaving the ground
in the fashion of an airpiane at high
speeds, thus making the car very diff
| ficult to steer.
DR.. Dryden is confident, however
that automotive engineers could soon
solve these practical problems The
greatest difficulty, at present, is that
the bizarre shape of the 'ladybug' type
Of car might deter sales and the auto
manufacturers are fearful of expert.
menting with it.