Truncated Helmet Aerodynamics With Boundary-Layer Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional time trial (TT) helmets, designed to reduce aerodynamic drag, often increase weight, discomfort, and are unwieldy, and may pose a safety risk due to their elongated tails, which can become a liability in certain racing conditions.
Innovation Solution
A helmet design featuring a truncated shape with a drop-off and occipital cliff, combined with strategically placed vents and chines, manipulates the boundary layer to reduce drag and turbulence while maintaining ventilation, and includes a visor attachment system for improved aerodynamics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional TT helmets use elongated tapering tails to reduce aerodynamic drag, then drag is reduced, but weight increases and the helmet becomes unwieldy and uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential aerodynamic function of the long tail while removing its physical bulk. By using a truncated tail design with specific surface features (drop-off, occipital cliff, chines), the helmet achieves the airflow management benefits of a long tail without the associated weight and unwieldiness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the helmet tail, transitioning from a conventional long tapering shape to a truncated design with specific features. The drop-off location (closer to coronal plane), occipital cliff angle, and chine positioning are optimized parameters that maintain aerodynamic performance while reducing weight and bulk.
2Loss of energy
If conventional TT helmets use elongated tapering tails to reduce aerodynamic drag, then drag is reduced, but the helmet becomes unwieldy and uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the aerodynamic functionality from the physical bulk of the long tail. The truncated design with surface features maintains the airflow control benefits while removing the unwieldy characteristics, improving handling comfort and ease of operation.
3Loss of energy
If conventional TT helmets use elongated tails, then aerodynamic drag is reduced, but safety is compromised due to danger to other riders
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the hazardous elongated tail structure while preserving the aerodynamic drag reduction function through surface features. The truncated design eliminates the safety risk to other riders while maintaining performance benefits.
4Loss of energy
If conventional TT helmets use elongated tapering tails, then aerodynamic drag is reduced, but the tail becomes an aerodynamic liability when the head is turned or in crosswind
Solution Approach 1:
The truncated tail design with specific surface features (drop-off, occipital cliff, chines) creates a more dynamic and adaptable aerodynamic profile. These features allow the airflow to adjust more effectively to changes in head position and wind conditions, reducing the aerodynamic liability present in conventional long-tail designs.
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 achieves reduced aerodynamic drag without increased weight or bulk, enhances ventilation, and provides improved safety and comfort by stabilizing airflow and minimizing boundary layer separation.
Implementation Method 1
manipulates the boundary layer to reduce drag and turbulence
Implementation Method 2
reduce aerodynamic drag without increased weight or bulk
Implementation Method 3
the plurality of vents providing fluid communication between outside the helmet and inside the helmet
Data Source
AI summary
A helmet with an outer shell, an inner liner, a plurality of vents, and an occipital cliff is disclosed. The outer shell includes an outer surface made up of a first and second surface, the first and second surfaces joined by a drop-off running across the outer surface from a left side of the helmet to a right side of the helmet. A majority of the drop-off is closer to a coronal plane bisecting the helmet than it is to the rear of the helmet. The drop-off is contained within a posterior section of the helmet defined by the coronal plane. The first surface defines a top of the drop-off and the second surface defines a bottom of the drop-off, such that the drop-off has a height. The occipital cliff is located at the rear end of the helmet and is approximately perpendicular to the second surface proximate the drop-off.