How Do Air Curtains Work?
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- Опубликовано: 1 май 2021
- Today we are looking at how air curtains on cars work. Air curtains are a drag reduction device employed on road cars around the front bumper to help shrink the front tyre wake, consequently reducing the overall drag of the car.
This video was a request from a Patreon supporter, if you'd like to support me please use the links below!
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For full clarity, the forward thrust on the massive vanes is pretty heavily cancelled by the pressure drag increase on the centre front bumper (one of the reasons why the drag only improves by 2.3% and not >10%), with the wake reduction still likely being the largest driver for the overall drag reduction. This could swing either way in the wind tunnel depending on the effectiveness of the downstream wake shift. However, more often than not I've seen this style of vane (the massive one) be an overall drag improvement in the tunnel, and it is interesting to consider the local loading directions.
Hope you all enjoy the video!
Could you explain the 2021 ducati desmosedici wings on the engine fairing its buging me like crazy.
How would the increased front pressure effect a splitter? Could it help increase front downforce while minimizing the drag penalty?
Hi Kyle, could you take a look at this RUclips video and explain what's going on? It is a SL-C car on a track and at speed the top of the doors is lifting by 2 or 3 inches! Looks very dangerous to me. I don't know the car or the owner but I am interested in what's going on and what are the solutions. Definitely looks like a aerodynamic issue. ruclips.net/video/sMMnKj3-mH8/видео.html
You sir are genius and a chad love all your videos
Hi Kyle, would you be able to do a video on fender Louvers/extractors . Thanks!
Ex F1 engineer uses his wife’s Kia as a prop 👍🏻
Wife: I want to buy a new car.
Kyle: Does it have air curtains?
Wife: Yes
Kyle: I heartily approve then.
New team confirmed.
@@TheFarCobra exactly what came to mind haha, bet all his cars have a cd of less than 0.28
Well, F1s have no air curtains... :P
I absolutely adore these in depth looks at aerodynamic designs, thank you for making these.
LOL. You kept referring to it as a ridiculous vane but I can imagine half the guys watching this are like, "I've gotta get me one of those things! It looks so cool!"
haha yeah, and it doesn’t help that the ridiculous vane is shaped very similar to one of the the canards for the R34 GT-R 😂
Saw this guy at work the other day, such a nice bloke to have a chat to
Can you make a video on cfd analysis of turbo fan/ aero disc ?
Do they both reduce drag and cool disc ?
Are they effective or not ?
I approve this, finally dispell all the theories and whats not
+1, love seeing turbofans on retro race cars and always wanted to know if they actually work or not
I’m probably wrong but they do both. Turbofans that have huge fins and stick out far from the wheel like rally cars are gonna help cool brakes and iirc they help seal the underbody of the car a little better. Turbo fans that are basically flat wheel covers like on Le Mans cars are there to reduce drag.
Request: Gordon Murray's new car uses an active fan, and he said it can create a "long tail" effect reducing drag, in addition to boosting downforce in other configurations. Can you do an analysis on using a fan to reduce drag?
Short version: It's effective, but universally banned in all motorsports because "ZOMFG MOVING AERO?!!!?!"
@@AmaroqStarwind more like "ZOMFG WE NEED TO RnD TO CATCH UP?"
@@dsdy1205 Also, moving aerodynamic devices.
@@AmaroqStarwind also ABS/EST, Active suspension, underbody aero(probably put development back 20 years), CVTs(test car ate everything on the track in practices == instaban!), etc
fan is great, got banned because constantly shooting shit tons of road gravel and dirt into the cars behind is not great.
Kyle, can you compare Mid 2000s with modern f1 cars? It would be interesting to see in cfd how well they managed wheel wakes and underbody efficiency at that time :)
Underbody in F1 has been flat since late 80s until 2022, there might not be any major difference besides underbody size
So that's what they are called! I've seen air curtains on trucks, usually they are pretty obvious like in your demo model
VERY good! Always good to find someone with real qualifications and experience discuss the engineering. So much better than some others on YT.
lovely work as always
Thanks for giving us such a good insight in car aerodynamics!
Great video as always. Thank you for providing great knowledge in an engaging format!
Do an aero overview on the lotus evija, the tunnels at the rear seem like they would upset the diffuser air flow, or push it further back idk
Thanks Kyle, keep posting more of such content please
was watching live sports but that can wait when you upload
really good content as always
Great video! 2 videos ideas :
5 best way to increase front downforce
5 best way to reduce drag please?
We, common mortals,have streetcars used for track purposes.
(Splitter and wing included)
A compromise.
Thanks Kyle!
Great understanding, thank you for sharing it with us
Great stuff!
Nice explanation of air curtains principle. Eolab Renault Concept is a great example of a fully working air curtain drag reduction. Since air curtains are not big enough on production car, the effect is very tiny, as you mentioned Kyle.
Thus, those cheap devices let car manufacturers do some aero marketing communication.
Hey Kyle, hadn't had my bell rung for some time, turns out didn't have the bell tuned on... fixed it. Glad to see your making videos! look forward to everyone of them.
Tire tyre weight! How come it's so hard to get tire weight info? I wonder if you'd be interested in searching out (or have you already?) tire/ wheel weight and explain why this is important.
The roads I drive on in the Canadian province of Alberta have been less than properly maintained for decades, here we all will soon be riding MX bikes to get to work each day. In fact there is now a contest anyone can enter a photograph of the worst road in Alberta. Almost everyone with a pickup truck has oversize tires installed... for the cool factor. Putting such tires on brings extra wear and tear on ones vehicle. So even in this scenario tire weight makes a drastic degradation of ride quality. Lighter tires improve EVERY quality of performance. (Save for puncture resistance) Yet this one characteristic is rarely considered. And little to no information is available. Width, height, speed rating, wear rate and COST is where most stop their comparison shopping. Are tyre companies making lighter tires? And if so, why won't they proudly advertise this important improvement?
Very interesting. Thank you
they seem to use these on the front of cab-over trucks and busses a lot but only around the height of the grill. is that just due to the visibility and strength/crash considerations of doing them at window and bumper level or is it about also affecting flow through grill due to higher pressure. love the channel man.
DAF euro 6 trucks have large air curtains below the mirror.
Never knew what their purpose was, but this video clears things up.
I’ve always wondered what these did on my Mustang. Pretty cool stuff
Amazing as always, pretty interesting stuff! Would like to see something Nascar relate sometime! It seems quite tricky on how to generate downforce without a very complex aero package
I remember first seeing something like this on a LMP1 Acura probably 10 or so years ago. Thought that was a really clever solution with it tied in to other dive planes also.
Your grey/green render of the giant air curtain just looks like the average local Focus RS
Hello Kyle, nice video. Can you please share some more basic infos (like solver and turbulence model) about your CFD setup when doing analysis? Also in this case are you calculating with rotating tires?
What a wonderful person... just a beautiful, intellectual, eloquent human being
Hi kyle! Thankls for the videos, and thanks for the efforts you put at making those things understandable. Well, i've been thinking of a way to introduce more drag into the inner side of the turn of a car, as well as lowering it at the far side of a turn, with several systems, so that the car turns as much as as a flying wing (or a tandem wing) thanks to its aero surfaces, as well as its wheels (well in fact as much as its wheels i should say). I came up with a few solutions, mostly based upon aero structures, that control the airflow, either depending on turning upon speed, or instead height upon speed/turn. All off them which could be controlled using a basic piton antenae, diaedra angle upon the ground effect through teh suspension/direction, and a system correlating wheels turn with an angle of attack control system. But i guess i'm not the first one thinking about that as the devs based upon ground effect aircraft must have brought some after thoughts about that to those who actually design these assets. To be honest, i'm only a desigenr, who studied aerodynamics as a pure amateur, so my own skills are not doing justice to the ideas i'm about, but i think there's an interesting field to explore here, far away from the rules set by the FIA. Anyway, thanks for the vids, tyhey are awesome!
that would be great if you make some video about air-blocking plates before the wheel. some info from the internet says that is even more helpful im reducing drag that canards
The second design is almost like the “aero ducts” that they introduced on NASCAR cup cars a few years ago. Their design directs the air more heavily outboard of the car, intended to increase what’s called a “side draft” on the straights. I’ve got no technical knowledge but this gives my imagination something to play with lol
Imagine the pedestrian protection these could provide for Mustang crowd adventures! Hehe, great vid
My neighbors are always staring into my apartment will air curtains solve this problem?
i can assure you they do, i always cant see through the supermarket fridge hand have to peel my head through the air curtains to have a look at the products
Great video as usual
Can you evaluate if or how much an air curtain will change the break cooling of front break ?!
-> will there be more or less air/heat transfer from the break disc to the ambient air when having such a air curtain ?
Never clicked this fast on a video xD
Would the air curtain have any positive effect on lowering the static pressure in the wheel arch, mainly in front of the wheel? Curious if it would assist the delta-p on side-mount intercoolers
Your air curtain model looked very reminiscent of current MotoGP bikes aero.
Possibly some interesting content with modern race bikes aero aids?
Thanks for the video!👍
Guess that is why they are on commercial trucks as well. At least on many cab over style trucks. Speaking of trucks, some here in the US are starting to pop up with vortex generators on the trailing edge of the cab/sleeper. Best I can figure is that the maybe block air from filling the gap between the cab and trailer. When I see them there are a ton. Side by side all the way up and down that back edge. Not sure if they have them up top too.
they work for getting flow to jump from cab to trailer, but airtabs are pushed as a method of reducing wake vortex too - which they don't (they actually increase drag if used at the rear of a bluff body vehicle consist)
can you do a video about modern ground effects as there is lots of information on how the 70s-80s f1 ground effect but not much on modern cars. btw long time subscriber and love the videos. can we also see more of your buggy and also is ThomsenMotorsport still racing? I really enjoyed his videos and loved the aero package you did for his car.
You should rate wether or not it's worth installing this particular device on your track car, or if the mod is even usable on a road car
BMW Grill Designers saw your Curtain Design and were like, write that down! write that down!
Kyle, would you be so kind and explain the new technical regulations for F1 2022? I would like to see the floor especially.
Really interesting, thanks. What CFD tool was used for this? Did you include spinning wheels and moving road, or can one get a useful result from the wheel wells without that? I'm pondering on velomobile design. Tufts on the body suggest they have some of the same vortices in the wells, but with reduced energy, I guess due to the skinny bike tyres.
Hell yeah, PICANTO GANG RISE!,
The air curtains were probably the first little aero detail i noticed on them in the showroom (i know, strange thing to pick out first)
You mentioned the Mustang's use of air curtains vs what wheel/tire width they use. Is this also dependent on whether the Mustang is a "track" version or not? It seems to me that there would be no air curtains used on the track versions (GT500/GT350/PP2) because the air curtains would hurt the efficiency on front brake cooling. It would be better to have a larger area of low pressure behind the fender's front wheel opening edge so as to help the heated air from the brakes escape the wheel and wheel housing better.
Nice video!
Is all the air that goes through the engine bay being ignored for some reason? I have been looking for any info on that matter.
What about the other air opening, exhausting right before the front doors, with the air coming from behind the front tires, as you can see in the Audi e-Tron GT?
Could you elaborate on that?
Is it to relieve pressure from the front wheel wells, or does it have any other benefit?
oh sick, I love this ICP song.
Have you done a video on Gurney flaps yet? They are probably my favorite aerodynamic device and it would be cool to hear your thoughts on them
Lovely details. I am curious as to how is a rounded front bumper like a later Ford Fusion compare to one like 10th Gen Civic Si which features flat surfaces that seem designed to look like intakes on a supercar?
also would love to learn more about lmp2/hyper cars
Man, I could watch these aero analysis videos all day...
But also now i'm curious, how much of a drag effect is there between a rounded trailing edge versus a sharp trailing edge. Like, on the rear bumper, old cars have a smooth curve from the side to the back, but newer cars have a sharp corner instead. How significant is the aero difference between those two?
Could we get a video about little "spoilers" on hatches tailgates? Those are really common on modern cars
Could you please do a video on the tesla semi vs regular semi. Anything with tesla aero will probably get tons of views and be super interesting since they are generally solving for drag reduction. Thanks!
In wat software you are making simulations
How’s the F1 style probe going along?
Did you use MRFs for the wheels (and internal brake disk ducting)? Do you generally solve for energy?
Kyle could you do a video on the lotus eletre suv very interesting aerodynamic features on this car
I'd be interested to see how this sort of duct would work in conjunction with dive planes, I'm not sure it would be any benefit, but it might drop the drag of the dive planes a bit?
Thanks.
@Kyle.Engineers , could you please explain what is happening with air curtains fitted to the Mitsubishi GTO or 3000GT in the rear wheel arch .
which one more efficient venting a oil cooler in the front bumper side vent or venting the oil cooler to the fender vent? thank you
Do a video on turbo fans and their effectiveness
what is the CFD solver that you use?
Did this analysis include the rotational effects of the wheel and tyre?
I first started seeing those on some BMWs and was wondering why I could see through it from behind, but after I started seeing them on more cars, I figured it was a way to act as a tire spat for the sides. I was thinking they might keep the free flowing air from getting caught up in the wheel turbulence, or maybe aid in brake cooling by encouraging airflow out through the wheel.
I didn't even consider the effects on the rear wake shape. Thanks for making this and answering that question!
Yeah, the first ones I can recall seeing were the X5s from the mid 2010s, then later on Tesla Model Xs.
I would like to know if that affects the same driving on curve or the drag increases
Can you please inform us which CFD and geometry preparation tools you are using?
Is a vane around the A pillars could be effective as well ?
when I look at that aircurtain that you designed, I'm thinking about the shape which gives a high pressure area on the inside of the car.. do you think, if you would give it a sweep to the outside to get a low pressure area on the inside and a high pressure on the outside it will reduce the drag on the front of the car? or is that nonsense because you increase the drag again on the side of the car?
If I were to add scoops flush with a front bumper fascia about 4 in in diameter and run that back and cut out an area of my front fender just ahead on the tires to make an air curtain will that reduced my frontal area as well as my frontal wake on a gen 1 Honda Insight?
Hej Kyle, I started cutting out a pocket on the wheelhouse liner, on the spot seen on the Kia. But the car does not have an air curtain built-in, it will probably suck in the air from the engine bay volume. At first, I thought it would decrease the pressure on the front of the car, then I recognized I will feed air into the wheelhouses, therefore, increasing the pressure there. What do you think?
Could you do a run on a lifted Jeep with big 35" x 12.5" tires? It'd be cool if you could just hang these off the bumper or fender for better mpg on road trips, and then fold them up for off roading. Curious how long it'd take to break even.
Not what I thought they were for. It would be interesting to see the results of the radiator exit ducts (similar positions) that were seen on, if memory serves, WRC Focuses and older BTCC cars.
In a F1 car the wingtip closer to nose cone produces a clockwise vortex, does it draws the outer flow to the underside of the car??
Is there a negative effect when we push the front tires out (-ve offset and wider tires)? Should I block off the entry vents of the front bumper air curtains? or angle the exit vents with some sheet metal?
nice video, can you do a video about what could normal car owner do to his car to reduce drag and lift. like a hot hatch mod.without a F1 budget :)
The thrust generated is the same thing as drag erased or is it different?
Is this the same aero device that modern Honda civic hatchbacks have at the top of the rear window?
I've wondered this for a while.
Front wing F1 2018 have anotcher solutions to outwash use small wings outside. Exelent job we wait how reduced drag in normal car 😎👍
Would you please evaluate OEM aero on 2018 and up Camaro ZL1 1LE. I’m like many who are required to run 200 treadwear tires, vs OEM 100 treadwear. I’d like to know if any modifications can be made to improve aero and add downforce to increase tire grip on road courses like my home track, COTA. I’ve seen small carbon fiber angle used as a wicker.
On what software has you done those simulations?
Hi ! Which software do you used for the CFD ?
Quick question on the CFD setup, RANS or DES?
What if use a fan to suck the air out of the big one? Or small one but with radiator inside to reduce drag from colling? Or both? What about complete blocked wheels with static covers and axle brake sistem? Really curios about...
Would brake ducts work the same as air curtains, or would the introduce more drag?
So what happens with canards? Do they increase this tire wake? Would a combination of them and this side curtain negate some of that drag added?
Is there any chance for 2022 onwards if you can breakdowns of F1 teams aero? Maybe breakdown new GT cars like the M4 GT3?
What software are you using for that?
What cfd software are you using?
What program is this?
This may be a stupid question..but I would like to know your opinion of does a clean car have better aerodynamic properties than not so clean car and more specific, does ceramic coatings or carnauba waxes improve aerodynamic performance on cars..are there any scientific evidence that it does help or what do you think.
Thanks and love your video's
could you please, and I think it can be interesting for subscribers, tell a bit more about vortex generators and why they have been used in car design.
If I have my CAI next to an Air Curtain what can I expect? The CAI is in the Bumper right on the flat where the Bumper curve commences. Will the Curtain create turbulence at the CAI and cause me to drop hp Torque? I seperate the two by running a separation Wall where the Curtain is on the outer part and the CAI just on the inner side. Hope that is clear enough........ Your thoughts???
Hi Kyle. Would adding downforce to a classic car with a horrible drag coefficient make it more stable on highway?
Could you do an aerodynamic analysis of the Vision 1789?
what's cfd software he used?
My 2010 saab 9-3 is supposed to be super aerodynamic but the front bumper curves in exposing the side of the tires, should i stretch the bumper out to the end of the tire or is there a reason they designed it this way?