The inspiration? A golf ball!
The Bugatti Bolide, which made its debut as a concept in October, took the active aerodynamics to a next level with a scoop that has bubbles bulging out when the speed increases. Here’s a short clip of that ‘Dimple Airscoop’ in action –
Watch #BugattiBolide‘s ‘Dimple Airscoop’ in action. pic.twitter.com/MAkLykXL0F
— Sagar (@autodevot) December 11, 2020
The idea began in 2019 when the engineer Ballerstein was doing his master’s degree thesis. The young engineer was conducting research at Bugatti on the new 3D-printed brake calipers made of titanium, with water flowing through them for cooling purposes. In order to improve the heat dissipation, he used a dimple pattern inside the channels. The rounded dents in the boundary layer produce turbulence – similar to a golf ball. The result was that the fluid mixes better in the channels – and the temperature in the brake caliper drops.
The surprised engineer then wondered if the same principle applies to airflow. The sketch above gives a better visualization of how those bubbles affect the airflow. Notice when the surface is smooth, the air that exits the scoop generates vortices behind it, and when the bubbles come out at about 120 km/h (75 mph) upwards, the flow smoothens out. A total of 60 individual elements extend variably by up to 10 mm, depending on the speed.
According to Bugatti, those bubbles reduce the aerodynamic drag of the scoop by 10% and decrease lift by 17%.
Comparison of the pressure distribution on the Airscoop with and without the dimple pattern
As with the golf ball, the pattern causes a more turbulent boundary layer, which means that the air flowing around it adheres to the surface for longer and does not detach until later. As a result, the detachment and recirculation areas are reduced and the car’s Cd value decreases, Bugatti explains.
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