Motorcycle Front Lower Cover Curvature for Drag Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional motorcycle body cover designs experience air flow stagnation at the lower front cover, leading to increased air drag and complex duct constructions to cool the power unit effectively.
Innovation Solution
A motorcycle body cover construction featuring a front cover, a front lower cover with a curved surface extending rearward to connect with an undercover, and a recessed lower portion to guide air flows efficiently, reducing air drag and enhancing cooling by promoting airflow to the power unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the front lower cover has a conventional shape with restricted airflow path, then the body cover construction is simple, but air flows stagnate at the transverse center causing increased air drag
Solution Approach 1:
The front lower cover incorporates a curved portion at its lower end that extends rearwardly with a specific radius of curvature. This curvature allows air flows to follow the contour smoothly from the front toward the rear, preventing stagnation at the transverse center and reducing air drag while maintaining a relatively simple single-piece construction
2Temperature
If air induction opening and duct construction are added to cool the power unit, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but the body cover construction becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The front lower cover serves multiple functions: it acts as a body cover for aesthetic purposes, guides air flows to reduce air drag through its curved portion, and simultaneously provides cooling to the power unit by directing air flows along its rearwardly extending lower end. This eliminates the need for separate duct constructions while achieving both aerodynamic and thermal management goals
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the functions of the body cover and the air cooling system into a single integrated structure. The front lower cover's curved portion and rearwardly extending lower end combine the aerodynamic flow guidance function with the power unit cooling function, eliminating the need for separate air induction openings and duct constructions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design reduces air drag by allowing smooth airflow from the front lower cover to the rear, while the undercover's opening portion promotes airflow replacement around the power unit, enhancing cooling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a curved portion at a lower end of the front lower cover, which curves towards a rear end edge of the front lower cover. Since this makes it easy to guide air flows which are collected to a transverse center of the vehicle body towards a rear of the vehicle body
Implementation Method 2
a suction current is produced which sucks out air inside the opening portion when air flows flowing from the front lower cover along the undercover flow to pass a position which faces the opening portion
Data Source
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AI summary
A body cover construction of a motorcycle is provided which can reduce an air drag by eliminating the stagnation of air flows which pass through a lower portion of a front lower cover and which can cool effectively a power unit by a simple construction which utilizes air flows. There is provided a body cover construction for a motorcycle 1 including a body cover 20 having: a front cover 21 which covers a front portion 10a of a vehicle body from a front to sides of a headstock 15; a front lower cover 30 which covers a front surface of the vehicle body, below the front cover 21 and which has a curved opposite surface 30a which continues from above to a rear of a front wheel 18 to face opposite the front wheel 18; and an undercover 25 which covers a lower surface of the vehicle body lying further forwards than a power unit 55 and lighting further rearwards than the front lower cover 30, wherein a lower end portion 30e of the front lower cover 30 has a curved portion 36 and is thus allowed to extend rearwards to be connected to the undercover 25, and wherein the curved portion 36 is formed so that a radius of curvature at a transverse center is larger than radii of curvature at transverse end portions thereof.