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Remember all the talk about adaptive aerodynamics being discussed a year ago? It looks like GM is serious as they have recently received three new Patents for adaptive aero technologies. The following is an excerpt from our post at CorvetteBlogger.com as we looked closer at each of the three Patent Publications.
Active Side Skirts:
The patent publication explains that vehicle side skirts are an aerodynamic device typically fitted to a vehicle body side between the front and rear wheels. The purpose is to help streamline ambient airflow around the rear wheels to reduce drag. According to the summary in the patent, the larger the area of the side skirts, the lower aerodynamic drag on the vehicle.
The Active Side Skirt system utilizes sensors to detect the rotating speed of the wheel as well as the speed of the vehicle relative to the road surface, and a controller is programmed to send commands to actuators that can extend and retract the side skirts "toward and away from the road surface".
Active Spoilers
Like the side skirts, spoilers are used to "spoil" unfavorable air movement across the body of a vehicle in motion, usually described as turbulence or drag. Adding a spoiler at the rear of the vehicle helps to delay airflow separation from the body. As we have learned recently from the two different styles of the spoilers on the 2019 Corvette ZR1, a spoiler mounted as a certain height and angle can either help to reduce lift and create downforce like the ZR1's high wing, or it can be used to streamline the airflow to reduce drag as is the function of the ZR1's low wing.
Of course, nobody wants to carry around two different spoilers. So the Active Spoiler system detailed in the Patent publication solves that problem.
Stanchions are used to support the spoiler body relative to the car. Connected to a gear and motor system, they can be configured to vary the height of the spoiler. A second process is configured to selectively pivot the body of the spoiler to change the angle and thereby adjust the aerodynamic downforce generated by the spoiler.
Like the active side skirts, the active spoiler can include sensors that communicate a variety of information for controlling the active spoiler. Sensors look at the rotating speed of the rear wheels as well as detecting the velocity of ambient airflow relative to the vehicle. Other sensors look at the steering wheel angle as well as detecting the yaw rate. All these sensors feed information to the controller which then adjusts the height and angle of the spoiler.
Downforce Generating Ducts
This next patent is pretty straightforward for what is described as downforce generating ducts. We all know that ducts are used on the Corvette to move air from one part of the car to another. The C7 Corvettes featured ducts on the rear quarter panels that are used for cooling the transmission and differential fluids. On a mid-engine platform, cooling is even more important as you need forward-facing ducts to capture the air and then route to the various areas that need additional cooling.
In this patent publication, GM describes the ducts as a fully-enclosed structure, and it contains a first or entry port positioned to receive the ambient airflow and a second or exit port to exhaust the airflow from the duct. The first and second ports together with the fully-enclosed structured are configured to generate an aerodynamic downforce on the vehicle body when it's in motion.
GM also notes that the ducts can be found both top and bottom of the car and that they can include a venturi to accelerate the portion of the oncoming ambient airflow.
Active Side Skirts:
The patent publication explains that vehicle side skirts are an aerodynamic device typically fitted to a vehicle body side between the front and rear wheels. The purpose is to help streamline ambient airflow around the rear wheels to reduce drag. According to the summary in the patent, the larger the area of the side skirts, the lower aerodynamic drag on the vehicle.
The Active Side Skirt system utilizes sensors to detect the rotating speed of the wheel as well as the speed of the vehicle relative to the road surface, and a controller is programmed to send commands to actuators that can extend and retract the side skirts "toward and away from the road surface".
Active Spoilers
Like the side skirts, spoilers are used to "spoil" unfavorable air movement across the body of a vehicle in motion, usually described as turbulence or drag. Adding a spoiler at the rear of the vehicle helps to delay airflow separation from the body. As we have learned recently from the two different styles of the spoilers on the 2019 Corvette ZR1, a spoiler mounted as a certain height and angle can either help to reduce lift and create downforce like the ZR1's high wing, or it can be used to streamline the airflow to reduce drag as is the function of the ZR1's low wing.
Of course, nobody wants to carry around two different spoilers. So the Active Spoiler system detailed in the Patent publication solves that problem.
Stanchions are used to support the spoiler body relative to the car. Connected to a gear and motor system, they can be configured to vary the height of the spoiler. A second process is configured to selectively pivot the body of the spoiler to change the angle and thereby adjust the aerodynamic downforce generated by the spoiler.
Like the active side skirts, the active spoiler can include sensors that communicate a variety of information for controlling the active spoiler. Sensors look at the rotating speed of the rear wheels as well as detecting the velocity of ambient airflow relative to the vehicle. Other sensors look at the steering wheel angle as well as detecting the yaw rate. All these sensors feed information to the controller which then adjusts the height and angle of the spoiler.
Downforce Generating Ducts
This next patent is pretty straightforward for what is described as downforce generating ducts. We all know that ducts are used on the Corvette to move air from one part of the car to another. The C7 Corvettes featured ducts on the rear quarter panels that are used for cooling the transmission and differential fluids. On a mid-engine platform, cooling is even more important as you need forward-facing ducts to capture the air and then route to the various areas that need additional cooling.
In this patent publication, GM describes the ducts as a fully-enclosed structure, and it contains a first or entry port positioned to receive the ambient airflow and a second or exit port to exhaust the airflow from the duct. The first and second ports together with the fully-enclosed structured are configured to generate an aerodynamic downforce on the vehicle body when it's in motion.
GM also notes that the ducts can be found both top and bottom of the car and that they can include a venturi to accelerate the portion of the oncoming ambient airflow.
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