The Boeing Company

David S Lazzara

Neal A Harrison

Christopher K Droney

Dino L Roman

Anthony J Sclafani

Lie-Mine Gea

There is provided a vehicle configuration to reduce drag in a fluid stream. The vehicle configuration has a vehicle body. The vehicle configuration further has at least one auxiliary body coupled to, and positioned a distance from, the vehicle body, to form a channel between the at least one auxiliary body and the vehicle body. The vehicle configuration further has one or more exterior profiles of one or more of, the vehicle body and the at least one auxiliary body. The one or more exterior profiles are positioned in proximity to the channel, and are shaped with an aerodynamic shaping, so that the one or more exterior profiles each comprises one or more concave shape portions. When a fluid flow from the fluid stream flows through the channel, the drag resulting from fluid flow interactions between the vehicle body and the at least one auxiliary body is reduced.

Vehicle configuration with aerodynamic shaping to reduce drag, and vehicle and method for the same

An aircraft includes a body, a wing coupled to and extending from the body, and a strut. The wing includes a wing thickest region bounded by a wing thickest region leading boundary and a wing thickest region trailing boundary. The strut includes a strut thickest region bounded by a strut thickest region leading boundary and a strut thickest region trailing boundary. In a planform view, the wing thickest region overlaps the strut thickest region at an overlap region, where the overlap region including less than fifteen percent of the strut thickest region.

Growing community of inventors

Newport Beach, CA, United States of America

David S Lazzara