LOS ANGELES, CA — NULL WINDS Technology™ today announced US Patent 10,773,543, for ‘Streamlined Tapered Bicycle Wheel Spoke.’ A continuation of US 9,878,745 — the first utility patent in history for the common wheel fender — this new invention adds to a broad portfolio of vehicle drag reduction IP by inventor Garth Magee — from bicycles to semitrucks. The patented aero spoke tapered profile is also effective in crosswinds, enabling break-though performance gains in windy conditions.
‘Streamlined Tapered Bicycle Wheel Spoke’ teaches that by maintaining a bladed cross-sectional profile nearest the wheel rim, while quickly tapering to a round cross-sectional profile towards the central axle, optimally yields reduced drag on the spoke while cycling in any crosswind, which is the predominate cycling situation on any windy day.
Spoke drag actually most affects overall vehicle drag only when spoke surfaces are positioned in the critical vehicle-drag-inducing uppermost region of the wheel, where impinging headwinds quickly rise to twice the vehicle speed at the top of the wheel. Any lower positioned spoke surfaces actually suffer more direct exposure to growing crosswinds, as headwinds are substantially reduced. And near the bottom of the wheel where crosswinds dominate, impinging headwinds are nil, producing negligible overall vehicle drag.
Since flattened bladed spokes actually induce more drag against crosswinds than a round spoke, a combination of both bladed and round spoke profiles is needed for reduced overall drag under common crosswind conditions. Thus, this new tapered spoke profile maximizes propulsive efficiency by streamlining the outer spoke with a bladed profile for the predominate headwinds impinging upon the critical uppermost region of the wheel, while simultaneously streamlining more centrally-positioned regions of the spoke with an oval or round profile for reduced drag against the higher effective crosswinds impinging on lower regions of the wheel.
“Current aero spoke are designed with entirely bladed profiles for reduced drag only against headwinds, thereby actually suffering increased drag in windy conditions against crosswinds,” said Inventor Garth Magee, founder of NULL WINDS Technology.
Garth Magee currently holds numerous related vehicle drag-reduction IP, including open-wheel vehicle wheel fairings, inner and outer wheel skirt panels for automobiles and semitrucks, as well as upper wheel deflectors for cargo trucks and trailers, and an auto-speed rolling road for bicycle trainers, or for use inside wind tunnels to more accurately measure vehicle drag under actual road operating conditions.
NULL WINDS Technology is now seeking partners to exploit this technology and related IP (https://www.nullwinds.com/pages/patents). Interested parties can contact Garth Magee at 310-675-4111.
Link to Patent is here — https://bit.ly/2FAsyPx
