SABIC unveiled Thursday at the 2015 Mid-American Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., a thermoplastic roof fairing concept the company says can potentially reduce annual fuel consumption of a heavy-duty truck by at least three percent.
Matt Buratto, global application developer for SABIC, says the design concept is aerodynamically optimized to deflect air by accelerating airflow through and across the top and sides of the roof fairing. The result, the company says, is a dramatic drop in drag (up to 5.9 percent), significantly improving the aerodynamic performance and fuel efficiency of a heavy-duty truck.
Burratto says the new thermoplastic roof fairing concept incorporates air ducts to reduce front end pressure and accelerate airflow both over the surface and through the fairing itself, whereas conventional roof fairings achieve aerodynamic efficiencies by maximizing airflow over smooth, closed surfaces.
SABIC used Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation technology to evaluate and quantify the aerodynamic performance of its roof fairing concept and is planning to corroborate its CFD findings with wind tunnel and on-road testing of functional prototypes on a commercial vehicle later this summer.
