Diamonite Electrathon America Racer

[Functional Artist]

While that wasa dryin', off to the side, I cut some FG cloth

I'ma gonna make it out of (2) layers of the 1708 Bi-Axial FG cloth
...so, I cut (2) pieces

 

[Functional Artist]

I got everything ready for the procedure

I "gooped on" a good coatin' of the resin

Layed down a "sheet" of the 1708 FG cloth

Then, added a bit more resin, ta saturate the cloth from the top side

Layed down the second layer

Then, saturated that piece too

That entire procedure took about 30 minutes

 

[Functional Artist]

Whilst that wasa curin' I did some roundin' & smoothin on the monocoque
....& did some extra "roughin' up" of the areas, that I'm gonna be bondin' more pieces onto
Cured/rough FG is really hard on sandpaper
...& hands

So, make sure ta wear thick leather HD gloves (them white ones are ~$5.00 @ HF)

A view of some of the smoothed off/cleaned up areas

A couple of hours later
...& the FG panel looks like this

I gave 'er a little liftin' action on the corner & she started releasin'

Easily "popped" the whole panel right off
...& now, we have a FG panel

The PVA (barrier layer) just peels off
...kinda reminds me of Cellophane (plastic)
...& then, gets disposed of

 

[Functional Artist]

So now, we have a (2) layer sheet or panel of 1708 Bi-Axial FG

It's pretty flexible

Even more flexible than that

Here is "the plan" so far
top: "nose" re-enforcement panels
bottom: air channel "sides"

Let's start off with a nice-n-straight edge
...set up a marking station

Then, set up some cuttin' stuff
...set up a cutting station

Halfway thru the cut

Now that we have a straight edge ta work with
...lets "square up" the side

I got 'em all cut out
...(2) "nose" re-enforcement panels
...& (2) air channel "sides"

 

[Functional Artist]

Mock-up/fitment test

Air channel

"nose" panel

First, I roughed up all areas, that are to be bonded

Then, cleaned all areas, that are to be bonded

Mixed up some resin
...& bonded the left side panels to the monocoque
...& then, gravity clamped 'em "in place"

I figured it would be best ta only do (1) side at a time
...so, I could use gravity, to "my advantage"
Also,
About the smallest batch of resin I can mix up, with the measurin' devices that I have, is ~8 oz.
&
I'ma pretty sure it ain't gonna take 8 oz of resin ta bond these littlt "guys" on
So,
I figured that I'd "seal up" or weatherproof
...the top of a storage drawer unit, that I made up

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

Am I seeing this correctly? Just for what it's worth, I don't think you'll be achieving speeds where this will matter.

 

[Functional Artist]

After a couple of hours
...I flipper 'er over
...& did the other side

Closer upper view

Then, a couple of hours later
...& Ju-alla

A closer upper vier of a "nose" re-enforcement panel

Another view

 

[Functional Artist]

Am I seeing this correctly? Just for what it's worth, I don't think you'll be achieving speeds where this will matter.

View attachment 163616

Hey Ez,

I'ma tryin' ta "play with" Venturi's
...& doin' some learnin' more about, the Venturi Effect
...whilst doin' some "real world" experimentin' & explorin'

This seems ta explain "it" pretty well

How the Venturi Effect Creates Airflow and Suction​

The Venturi effect is a phenomenon where a fluid’s speed increases as it travels through a constricted section of a pipe. This increase in velocity results in a simultaneous decrease in the fluid’s static pressure. The principle is observable in various natural and man-made environments, from the way wind funnels between tall buildings to its use in complex machinery. It provides a method for altering fluid pressure and velocity without mechanical parts.

The mechanics of the Venturi effect are illustrated using a Venturi tube, which has a wide entrance that narrows into a constricted throat before widening again. To maintain a constant flow rate as fluid passes through the smaller throat, its velocity must increase.

This relationship between velocity and pressure is explained by the Bernoulli principle. The principle states that for a fluid in motion, an increase in speed occurs alongside a decrease in pressure. In the Venturi tube, the highest fluid velocity and lowest pressure are therefore reached within the throat.

This can be visualized as a crowd moving down a hallway that narrows to a single doorway. Each person must speed up to pass through the constrained opening. Similarly, fluid particles accelerate through the throat, causing a drop in pressure. After the throat, the tube widens, allowing the fluid to slow and its pressure to increase toward its initial level.

The reduction in pressure within the Venturi throat can be harnessed to create suction. This low-pressure zone creates a pressure differential relative to the higher ambient pressure outside the tube, generating a vacuum force. This suction enables a process known as entrainment.

Entrainment occurs when this low-pressure area is used to draw a secondary fluid into the primary flow stream. By placing a port at the throat, the higher external pressure pushes the secondary fluid into the main tube, where it mixes with the primary flow.

A classic example is a perfume atomizer. When the bulb is squeezed, it forces a jet of air to move at high speed across a small dip tube extending into the liquid perfume. The fast-moving air has a lower pressure than the atmospheric pressure inside the bottle. This pressure difference pushes the perfume up the tube and into the airstream, where it is dispersed as a fine mist.

The principles of accelerated flow and pressure drop have been adapted for a wide array of practical uses across various industries.

• Automotive Carburetors: Older vehicles utilized carburetors that relied on the Venturi effect. Air passing through a constricted passage in the carburetor would speed up, creating a low-pressure zone that would draw fuel from a small jet into the airstream, forming the combustible air-fuel mixture needed by the engine.
• Household and Industrial Tools: Paint sprayers employ this principle. A stream of compressed air moves at high velocity over a tube leading to a paint reservoir. The resulting low pressure siphons the paint into the airflow, where it becomes atomized. This concept also applies to pressure washers that entrain cleaning solutions.
• Medical Nebulizers: In the medical field, jet nebulizers use the Venturi effect to deliver medication for respiratory conditions. Compressed air flows through a narrow channel, creating a vacuum that draws liquid medication from a reservoir. The airflow then breaks the liquid into a fine aerosol or mist for inhalation.
• Aviation Lift: An aircraft wing is shaped with a curved upper surface and a flatter bottom surface. This design forces the air flowing over the top to travel faster than the air flowing underneath. This higher velocity creates a zone of lower pressure above the wing compared to the higher pressure below it, resulting in a net upward force that lifts the aircraft.
• 
  
• https://engineerfix.com/how-the-venturi-effect-creates-airflow-and-suction/

 

[Functional Artist]

Am I seeing this correctly? Just for what it's worth, I don't think you'll be achieving speeds where this will matter.

View attachment 163616

Hey Ez,

The (3) areas of interest or potential goals, that I'ma lookin' for, from these Venturi "tunnels" are:

1.) Ground Effect/Down Force
To potentially lower the pressure, of the air, under the racer
...so, that the ambient (now) higher-pressure air above the racer, "pushes down" on the racer
...enhancing the tires "grip-ability"

2.) Principle of Mass Continuity
To potentially create a (under car/thru-vehicle) suction, that actually helps to "pull" the racer thru the air
...instead of "fighting with/against" the air
...&/or tryin' to "slip past" it

3.) Anti-Drag
To potentially inject some higher-pressure air
...into the "draggy" lower pressure area
...that is known to form, in the wake, behind a racer

Speed & Mass

Speed?
How much speed is required
...to generate any of these effects? (lookin' ta find out)

Effect vs. overall mass of the object?
How much any of these effects
...will affect a mini-racer vs. a full-size race car

* If let's say a full size race car (~2,000 lbs)
...going 200 MPH
...can generate (lets say) 1,000 lbs. of down force

Then,
What kinda DF could be generated by a mini-racer (~200 lbs.)
...going 25 MPH?
...maybe ~100 lbs.?????

Heck,
Even 10 lbs. of DF
...should create a noticeable effect
...on a ~200 lbs. vehicle

If nuthin' else, we gonna find out whether any of this was even worth the effort

 

[Functional Artist]

I've been thinkin' a bit more
...&/so, here is some of "where I'm coming from"

I'm NOT a boat guy
...but, I'ma thinkin' that even just a little wind (maybe 10MPH) will move a sailboat

How "much" (quick "off the line" & top speed) depends on how big the boat is
...& how big (or well designed) the "air device" (or sail) is

Speed:
It doesn't seem like the air is flowing, at tremendously high speeds
...for the Venturi Effect to occur in carburetors &/or paint guns

&
When riding around on my motorcycle, I've noticed that just going ~30 MPH
...can create quite a bit of force, from the wind

Volume:
The air intake(s) (openings) of the "air channels", on this racer, are ~8" wide x ~2" tall
...& the "throat" of the "air channels" are ~2" wide x ~2" tall

So, this "design" should create a 4:1 reduction in the air volume, flowing thru the "air channels"
...which speeds up the air flow
...but/&/also, reduces the pressure of the air (from ambient)

Then, the air flows into (& then, out of) the Expansion Tunnels
...&/then, expands
...slowing the air down
...while increases the pressure (back closer to the ambient air pressure, in the area)

 

[Functional Artist]

Overall view from the rear

Air intake(s) ~8" wide

Throat(s) ~2" wide

Height ~2" tall

Lookin' thru the "air channel"

Next up, makin' some "Tunnels"

&
Connecting "duct work"

* Also, "checked" the thickness of the FG panel
...seems ta be ~1/16" thick
...& remember, this is just (2) layers of the 1708 FG cloth

 

[Functional Artist]

Ta make the "tunnels" I first thought of usin'/tried CAD
...but, Ducky wasn't co-operatin'

So, I made 'em outta some MDF, instead
...salvaged, from the hood mold

Another view

* Notice the black paint, inside of 'em?
&
** I marked the "bottoms"
...so, I knew which "side" ta NOT ta, "smooth-n-finish"

 

[Functional Artist]

Tunnels & scraps

First, some routin' (with a Router)
...ta take a bunch of material, off the corner

Then, some sandin (with a Sander)
...ta smooth & round (the corner)

Another (before & after) view

I'ma thinkin' that I can get FG to wrap around that "bend"...pretty well

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

constricted section of a pipe

The venturi principle described above is exclusive to a closed system, or pipe. Half of this "pipe" is open to the atmosphere, so different rules apply.

 

[Functional Artist]

The venturi principle described above is exclusive to a closed system, or pipe. Half of this "pipe" is open to the atmosphere, so different rules apply.

Hey Ez,

I didn't "dream up" these concepts (Bernouli's principal, the Venturi Effect or Conservation of Energy in a moving fluid)
or
Applying these concept/ideas, to the bottom of cars

I learned about it, while doin' research on automotive, aerodynamics

Also, FWIU the road "is" the other half of the "pipe"

* You'all (Denny, WTR & Ez) are probably right "it ain't gonna work"
...but, "if" it "works" on full-size cars
&
I ain't gonna be able ta "get it outta my head"
...until I try
&
Even "if" NONE of it "works"
...I'ma havin' a "great time"
&
If nuthin' else
...I'll have a kool azz mini-tunnel car

 

[Functional Artist]

Yup, more Satin Black...Denny

Gave 'em a good coat
...& then, let 'em dry overnight