Wunibald Kamm
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Wunibald Kamm (Basel, April 26, 1893 – October 11, 1966 in Stuttgart) discovered an automobile design to reduce turbulence (that acts as an air brake) at high speeds.
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[edit] Cars and aerodynamics
The goal of automotive aerodynamics is to reduce the turbulence, or drag, caused by the shape of the automobile. Drag begins to increase after the rear of a car's cross-sectional area is reduced to fifty percent of the car's maximum cross section. On the other hand, less drag (or air turbulence) means less resistance to forward motion, thus higher efficiency and an increased maximum velocity.
[edit] Dr. Kamm
German Professor, Wunibald Kamm worked with aerodynamics engineer Baron Reinhard von Koenig-Fachsenfeld. They developed a design with a smooth roofline and a taper in the automobile's body that is whacked off at the rear end. This design makes the air flow act as if a full tapered "tail" was present on the vehicle. A full size prototype was developed in 1938. It was a four-door sedan featuring a sharply truncated rear end. The test car represented a compromise between a low air resistance and practicality in the automobile's size and shape.
[edit] The first "Kamm coupe"
In late summer of 1938, BMW tested a prototype of the so-called 'Kamm'-Coupe based on their "328 chassis". It had a drag coefficient of only 0.25 compared to the great 1940 Mille Miglia winning BMW 328 Touring Coupe with drag coefficient 0.35. [1] This automaker's naming of a model appears to be the earliest use of "Kamm" to publicly describe the Koenig-Fachsenfeld's design patent.
[edit] Kammback named production cars (USA)
- AMC Gremlin and AMC Eagle -- The design was not to improve streamlining, but to improve space efficiency.
- Chevrolet Vega -- The station wagon had more taper than the Gremlin, but not enough to gain aero-effects.
The Kammback "cut off tail" design continues to be popular. Most often, however, it only insinuates streamlining when used in production cars. It is then only a design trick to make the vehicle look "fast".
Dr. Kamm's wind cheating principle is used in a variety of popular vehicles, exotic sports cars, highly efficient hybrid powered cars, as well as outright racecars.
