Wunibald Kamm
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Wunibald Kamm (April 26, 1893 in Basel – October 11, 1966 in Stuttgart) was an automobile designer, engineer, and aerodynamicist (aerodynamics). He is best known for his breakthrough in reducing car turbulence at high speeds; the style of car bodywork based on his research has come to be known as a Kammback or a Kamm-tail.
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[edit] Design
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, a design with less drag (or air turbulence) means less resistance to forward motion, thus higher efficiency and an increased maximum velocity of the vehicle given the same powertrain.
[edit] Career
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 suddenly chopped 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 its coupé model appears to be the earliest use of "Kamm" to publicly describe an automobile body incorporating 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 model 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 mass-market vehicles, supercars, highly efficient hybrid powered cars, as well as outright racecars.
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kamm, Wunibald |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | automobile designer, engineer, aerodynamicist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 26, 1893 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Basel Switzerland |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 11, 1966 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Stuttgart Germany |
