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Aerodynamic aids can then be used to provide the necessary balance and stability characteristics at higher speeds. [3] Spoilers and wings on a vehicle have little effect at low speeds as improper designs may create undesirable responses and lower stability or efficiency for the car at high speeds. [3]
Automotive aerodynamics differs from aircraft aerodynamics in several ways: The characteristic shape of a road vehicle is much less streamlined compared to an aircraft. The vehicle operates very close to the ground, rather than in free air. The operating speeds are lower (and aerodynamic drag varies as the square of speed).
In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under given flight conditions. The L/D ratio for any given body will vary according to these flight conditions.
A wing of infinite span and uniform airfoil segment (or a 2D wing) would experience no induced drag. [11] The drag characteristics of a wing with infinite span can be simulated using an airfoil segment the width of a wind tunnel. [12] An increase in wingspan or a solution with a similar effect is one way to reduce induced drag.
The term drag area derives from aerodynamics, where it is the product of some reference area (such as cross-sectional area, total surface area, or similar) and the drag coefficient. In 2003, Car and Driver magazine adopted this metric as a more intuitive way to compare the aerodynamic efficiency of various automobiles.
Drag coefficients in fluids with Reynolds number approximately 10 4 [1] [2] Shapes are depicted with the same projected frontal area. In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient (commonly denoted as: , or ) is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment, such as air or water.
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is a streamlined body that is capable of generating significantly more lift than drag. [1] Wings, sails and propeller blades are examples of airfoils. Foils of similar function designed with water as the working fluid are called hydrofoils.
A lifting body is a foil or a complete foil-bearing body such as a fixed-wing aircraft. C L is a function of the angle of the body to the flow, its Reynolds number and its Mach number. The section lift coefficient c l refers to the dynamic lift characteristics of a two-dimensional foil section, with the reference area replaced by the foil chord ...