Surface construction for bodies moving through a fluid

Abstract

A body driven through air or other fluid has a surface including a plurality of similar wave-shaped elements, each having a curved nose connected to an extended tail. Each element extends substantially across the body and the elements are located in parallel relationship and generally oriented across the path of the air. The adjacent elements may be connect tail to nose or may be spaced with a flat surface connection or a small modified surface connection between individual elements or groups of elements.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A body adapted for movement relative to a fluid and having an extended wall engaging the fluid, said extended wall having a fluid directing surface including a plurality of like wave-shaped elements extending substantially parallel to each other across the path of said fluid, and spaced in the direction of the fluid flow, said wave-shaped elements having a nose extending upwardly to a rounded peak and a downwardly extended tail extending from the peak to the level of the nose, said tail being longer than said nose, and said wave-shaped elements covering a substantial area of the complete extended wall.  
     
     
         2 . The body of  claim 1  wherein said wave-shaped elements are substantially of the same length and height.  
     
     
         3 . The body of  claim 1  or  2  wherein said wave-shaped elements have the tail of each connected to the nose of the downstream element.  
     
     
         4 . The body of  claim 1  or  2  wherein said wave-shaped elements have adjacent noses and tails spaced from each other.  
     
     
         5 . The body of  claim 1  wherein said elements are configured in a generally V-shaped pattern with a first and second section pluralities of the elements extended from each other at an angle to the relative flow of the fluid over the surface to deflect the flow laterally across the surface of the craft.  
     
     
         6 . The body of  claim 1  wherein said elements have a height on the order of {fraction (3/32)} to ½ inches and a length on the order of ½ to 2½ inches.  
     
     
         7 . The driven craft of  claim 1  wherein said elements have a height on the order of {fraction (3/32)} to ¼ inches and a length on the order of ½ to 2½ inches.  
     
     
         8 . The body of  claim 1  wherein said surface is oriented with the nose being the leading surface relative to the fluid flow.  
     
     
         9 . The driven craft of  claim 1  wherein said surface is oriented with the tail as the leading surface relative to the fluid flow.  
     
     
         10 . The body of  claim 1  wherein said craft is a motor driven vehicle having top surfaces including said elements.  
     
     
         11 . The body of  claim 8  having side surfaces including said elements.  
     
     
         12 . The body of  claim 1  wherein said craft is a piston located within a cylinder, said piston having a face including a central dome shaped surface and at least one of said surface elements extended as a circular surface element located concentric with said face.  
     
     
         13 . The driven craft of  claim 11  wherein a second circular surface element is located between said first surface element and the outer edge of said face.  
     
     
         14 . The body of  claim 1  wherein each of said wave-shaped elements is an individual element secured to said base surface.  
     
     
         15 . The body of  claim 1  wherein each of said wave-shaped elements is secured abutting the adjacent wave-shaped element.  
     
     
         16 . The body of  claim 1  wherein each of said wave-shaped elements includes a lip extending from the nose of the element, and means securing the lip to the base to secure the element to the body.  
     
     
         17 . The body of  claim 1  is an air borne craft and wherein said elements are located and oriented on a lower surface of the craft with the tail, the element oriented for first engagement with the air and create a lift force on the surface.  
     
     
         18 . The air borne body of  claim 17  including a tubular member through which air flows, the internal surfaces of said jet members being construction with internal encircling wave-shaped elements oriented to produce maximum moving forces on the body to reduce the drag and increase the air velocity through the jet drive and reduce the drag factor and oriented to minimize the drag and increase the velocity of the air flow through the body.  
     
     
         19 . The body of  claim 1  is a tubular jet drive member having an opening with fluid passing through the tubular jet drive member to propel the body through the fluid, and said opening having an annular surface including said plurality of like wing-shaped elements, each of said elements being a circular element.  
     
     
         20 . The body of  claim 1  wherein selected adjacent wave-shaped elements of said plurality of like wave-shaped elements are spaced from each other.  
     
     
         21 . The body of  claim 20  wherein said spaced wing-shaped elements are connected by wave-shaped elements of configuration differing from said first named wave-shaped elements.  
     
     
         22 . The body of  claim 1  including reduced wing-shaped elements on the first named wing-shaped elements.