Patent Application
20130248141
The present disclosure generally relates to a front end structure for a vehicle, and particularly relates to a ducting arrangement and method for directing airflow toward and through a radiator in a vehicle.
To maximize fuel economy and aerodynamics, efforts are being made to improve the efficiency of air entering vehicles. Specifically, cooling air entering through a front fascia (e.g., entering through the grille and/or other openings in the front fascia) and how such air flows through the vehicle is being managed. Optimally, all or substantially all of the air entering through the grille will be directed through the radiator for engine cooling. Unfortunately, however, a significant amount of air typically passes around the side of the radiator, hurting aerodynamics and cooling performance.
For example, with reference for
One countermeasure to address the issue of airflow passing around lateral sides 20, 22 of a radiator 14 is to employ air guides, such as plastic air guides or tabs (not shown in
According to one aspect, a front end structure for a vehicle includes a fascia member defining a forward end of a engine compartment and a radiator disposed in the engine compartment rearwardly spaced from the fascia member. The front end structure further includes a duct member receiving airflow from an opening in the fascia member and directing the airflow to a location adjacent the radiator for restricting airflow around the radiator.
According to another aspect, a ducting arrangement for directing airflow toward a radiator in a vehicle includes a fascia member defining at least one lower opening therethrough and at least one upper opening therethrough. The at least one upper opening is aligned with an upper portion of the radiator such that airflow entering the at least one upper opening passes directly to the upper portion of the radiator. The ducting arrangement further includes at least one duct member associated with that at least one opening. The at least duct member has an inlet port arranged to receive airflow from the at least one lower opening and an exit port for discharging airflow received from the at least one lower opening. The exit port is arranged to discharge airflow at the upper portion of the radiator adjacent a lateral side of the radiator to maintain the airflow entering the at least one upper opening flowing into the radiator.
According to a further aspect, a method for directing airflow toward a radiator in a vehicle includes directing airflow from an upper opening defined in a fascia member toward an upper portion of the radiator; directing airflow from a lower opening defined in the fascia member below the upper opening toward the upper portion of the radiator; and further directing the airflow from the lower opening toward a location adjacent a lateral side of the radiator to prevent airflow from the upper opening from passing around the lateral side of the radiator.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating one or more exemplary embodiments and not for purposes of limiting same,
The ducting arrangement includes the fascia member 34 and at least one duct member associated with an opening in the fascia. In the illustrated embodiment, the at least one duct member is a pair of duct members 42, 44 that can be mirrored relative to one another within the front end structure 30. As will be described in more detail below, each of the duct members 42, 44 can receive airflow from an opening 46, 48 in the fascia member 34 and can direct the received airflow to a location adjacent the radiator 40 for restricting airflow around the radiator 40.
More particularly, the fascia member 34 defines at least one lower opening therethrough and at least upper opening therethrough. In the illustrated embodiment, the at least one lower opening is a pair of laterally spaced apart lower openings 46, 48 defined in a lower portion 34a of the fascia member 34 and the at least one upper opening is a grille formed of an upper opening 50 and a lower opening 52 defined in an upper portion 34b of the fascia member 34. The lower openings 46, 48 generally laterally flank the upper openings 50, 52, which can also be referred to as grille openings. Also in the illustrated embodiment, the duct member 42 can receive airflow from the opening 46 in the fascia member 34 and direct the received airflow to a location A adjacent the radiator (e.g., adjacent a first lateral side of the radiator) to restrict airflow around the radiator 40. Likewise, the duct member 44 can receive airflow from the opening 48 in the fascia member 34 and direct the received airflow to another or second location B adjacent the radiator (e.g., adjacent a second lateral side of the radiator) to restrict airflow around the radiator. As shown in
As mentioned, the at least one duct member (e.g., first and second duct members 42, 44) can be associated with the at least one lower opening (e.g., first and second lower openings 46, 48). As will be described in more detail below, the at least one duct member can have an inlet port arranged to received airflow from the at least one lower opening and an exit or outlet port for discharging airflow received from the at least one lower opening, wherein the exit port is arranged to discharge airflow at the upper portion 40a of the radiator adjacent a lateral side of the radiator to maintain the airflow entering the at least one upper opening flowing into the radiator 40. The inlet port can be vertically aligned with a lower portion 40b of the radiator 40 and the exit port can be vertically aligned with an upper portion 40a of the radiator 40.
More particular, and referring to the illustrated embodiment, each of the lower openings 46, 48 is an opening defined in the lower portion 34a of the fascia member 34 and is aligned, at least vertically, with a lower portion 40b of the radiator 40. The duct members 42, 44 receive airflow, respectively, from the openings 46, 48 in the fascia member 34 and direct the received airflow to respective locations A, B adjacent the radiator 40 for restricting airflow around the radiator. In particular, the respective locations A, B adjacent the radiator 40 can be disposed adjacent the upper portion 40a of the radiator, which is located above the lower portion 40b of the radiator 40. More specifically, each of the locations A, B can be disposed adjacent a lateral side 62, 64 of the radiator 40 for forming an air curtain adjacent the lateral sides 62, 64 of the radiator 40 that causes other airflow incoming toward the radiator 40 (e.g., airflow entering through the grille openings 50, 52) to pass through the radiator 40 instead of passing around the lateral sides 6062 of the radiator 40 as occurs in the prior art arrangement depicted in
As already described, the upper openings 50, 52 are defined in the upper portion 34b of the fascia member, and particularly above the lower openings 46, 48 defined in the lower portion 34a of the fascia member 34. The upper openings 50, 52 can be aligned, at least vertically, with the upper portion 40a of the radiator 40 such that airflow entering the upper openings 50, 52 passes toward the upper portion 40b of the radiator 40 and is prevented from passing around the lateral sides 62, 64 of the radiator by air curtains formed by airflow exiting the duct members 42, 44. Advantageously, the front end structure 10 and ducting arrangement thereof illustrated in
Each of the duct members 44, 46 includes a respective inlet port 66 at the respective openings 46, 48 and an respective exit port 68 at the respective locations A, B adjacent the radiator 40. In particular, the exit port 68 of the duct member 42 is disposed at the first location A, which is located or disposed adjacent the first lateral side 62 of the radiator 40, and the exit port 68 of the second duct member 44 is disposed adjacent the second location B, which is located or disposed adjacent the second, opposite lateral side 64 of the radiator 40. As already mentioned, the first and second duct members 42, 44 create air curtains at the first and second locations A, B when airflow passes through the first and second duct members 42, 44. In particular, the exit ports 68 are arranged such that airflow exiting the exit ports 68 forms a respective air curtains at or around lateral sides 62, 64 of the radiator 40 that prevents the airflow entering through the upper openings 50, 52 from bypassing the radiator and flowing around the lateral sides 62, 64 of the radiator 40.
In the illustrated embodiment, the exit ports 68 of the first and second duct members 42, 44 are defined in a plane that is substantially parallel to a forward face 40c of the radiator 40 (see
As shown in
With additional reference to
Optionally, as best shown in
A method for directing airflow toward a radiator in a vehicle will now be described. In particular, the method will be described in association with the front end structure 10 and ducting arrangement of
It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives or varieties thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
