Air Tabs Installed
Well I pull the trigger to and install Air Tabs on my camper. Hoping to cut the wind noise around the passenger door and reduce bugs. We will see how it works. ART
Forum Discussion
Those are called "vortex generators". Aircraft often employ them:
If you have a sunroof, you probably have a sawtooth or castellated edge that flips up at the front of the opening, too - without it, turbulence would create an annoying, pulsing, "thud" as you drove at speed. Same thing - a vortex generator.
A vortex generator puts energy into the airstream, causing the trailing air to "spiral" (a vortex). Since it has more energy and is spiraling, the air can't/ won't devolve into a turbulent mess, creating drag BEHIND the surface - it will flow/ spiral PAST the trailing surface, only becoming turbulent when the vortex energy dissipates much further back.
So the idea is that you're creating a smoother airflow over surfaces and past trailing edges, which creates less turbulence behind them.
I'm really interested to hear what the OP finds - putting vortex generator on the underside of a TC cabover seems like it would generate vortices aimed right at the vertical front wall of the camper - a worst-case scenario, aerodynamically.
If you have a sunroof, you probably have a sawtooth or castellated edge that flips up at the front of the opening, too - without it, turbulence would create an annoying, pulsing, "thud" as you drove at speed. Same thing - a vortex generator.
A vortex generator puts energy into the airstream, causing the trailing air to "spiral" (a vortex). Since it has more energy and is spiraling, the air can't/ won't devolve into a turbulent mess, creating drag BEHIND the surface - it will flow/ spiral PAST the trailing surface, only becoming turbulent when the vortex energy dissipates much further back.
So the idea is that you're creating a smoother airflow over surfaces and past trailing edges, which creates less turbulence behind them.
I'm really interested to hear what the OP finds - putting vortex generator on the underside of a TC cabover seems like it would generate vortices aimed right at the vertical front wall of the camper - a worst-case scenario, aerodynamically.
