Vehicle Wheel Well Guide Structure for Turbulence Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airflows from the engine compartment can collide with traveling wind, causing turbulence on the sides of a vehicle, which affects its aerodynamics and maneuverability.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle front portion structure with an inner wall and guide configuration that directs airflow from the engine compartment rearward into the wheel well, preventing it from colliding with side winds and reducing turbulence, while also allowing for improved cooling and propulsive forces through curved guide designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If airflows are discharged from the engine compartment into the wheel well, then cooling effect is enhanced, but air turbulence occurs on the sides of the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
A guide structure is introduced as an intermediary component between the engine compartment and the wheel well. This guide directs the airflow in a controlled manner, preventing direct discharge into the wheel well while still achieving cooling effect, thereby eliminating air turbulence on the vehicle sides
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful aspect (airflow discharge path) is extracted and separated from the useful aspect (cooling effect). By taking out the direct discharge path and replacing it with a guided flow path through the guide structure, the patent achieves cooling without the harmful turbulence effect
2Productivity
If airflows rush outward from the wheel well in the vehicle width direction, then discharge efficiency is improved, but collision with traveling wind produces turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of allowing airflows to rush outward in the vehicle width direction, the guide structure inverts the flow direction to guide airflows along the vehicle rearward direction. This inversion eliminates the collision with traveling wind while maintaining discharge efficiency
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 solution effectively controls air turbulence, enhances airflow guidance, and improves vehicle traveling performance by directing airflow rearward and generating propulsive forces, while maintaining efficient cooling of the engine compartment.
Implementation Method 1
a guide that is formed at the inner wall and the guide guides, in a vehicle rearward direction, an airflow that is discharged from the open portion to the wheel well or an airflow that has been discharged from the open portion to the wheel well
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle front portion structure, first guides are formed in a lower inner wall portion that configures part of a wheel well, and are inclined outward in a vehicle width direction and in a vehicle rearward direction as seen in a plan view. Furthermore, first open portions that open toward the vehicle rearward direction are formed in rear end portions of the first guides. For this reason, airflows flow along vehicle width direction inner surfaces of the first guides such that the airflows are altered to flows in the vehicle rearward direction. Because of this, inside the wheel well the airflows flow in the vehicle rearward direction from the first open portions, so the airflows are restrained from being blown outward in the vehicle width direction from the wheel well resulting in the occurrence of air turbulence at due to the airflows rushing out from the wheel well is controlled.