Tank trailer airfoil structures and methods
US11702150B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 2021 |
| Grant date | Jul 18, 2023 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 20, 2042 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB60P3/224
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Apparatus and associated methods relate to an airfoil configured to be disposed at a distal end of a tank. In an illustrative example, the airfoil may be configured such that, when the tank travels at a predetermined minimum speed in a proximal direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tank, the airfoil coalesces off-coming air from the tank and distally repositions a low-pressure region downstream of the tank below a plane horizontal to the longitudinal axis. The region may be distally displaced, for example, by at least one of a length scale of the tank. A cross-section of the tank may, for example, define a substantially conic section. A span of the wing may, for example, be orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. The wing may, for example, be below an upper surface of the tank. Various embodiments may advantageously reduce turbulence in the wake of the tank.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.