Ford Motor Company Limited

James V Chabot

Charles J Haddad

Thomas C Holka

Robert W Huzzard

A self-deployable front air spoiler assembly mounted beneath a vehicle underbody, the air spoiler assembly comprising a laterally extending airfoil which in non-deployed condition is situated in a semi-concealed position. The airfoil is supported at each side of the longitudinal center of the vehicle on swingable links, each link being pivotally coupled at one end to the airfoil and at the other end to the vehicle underbody. The pivot axes of the links are substantially parallel to the airfoil. Biasing means interposed between the air spoiler assembly and the vehicle underbody normally biases the airfoil toward its deployed condition. As the air pressure against the front face of the airfoil increases as the speed of the vehicle is increased, the airfoil swings downwardly increasing the frontal area impacted by the airstream and restricting the flow of air beneath the vehicle underbody.

Self-deployable air spoiler assembly

The combination of a laterally extending bumper mounted on the front end of a vehicle and a chin spoiler mounted beneath the bumper, the vehicle bumper having an ornamental face bar and a reinforcement member concealed therebehind. The chin spoiler comprises a support means fastened by conventional fastening means to the bumper reinforcement and an airfoil. The airfoil is contoured along its leading edge to complement the frontal contour of the bumper face bar. A hinge means secures the airfoil along its rear edge to the support means rearwardly of the bumper reinforcement. Biasing means interposed between the support means and the airfoil normally biases the latter towards the underside of the bumper face bar in a concealed position beneath the vehicle. The hinge means provides a hinge axis extending laterally of the vehicle about which the airfoil is deployable. The biasing means resists such deployment until the speed of the vehicle reaches a predetermined velocity at which the air pressure exerted upon the upper surface of the airfoil overcomes the biasing force of the biasing means causing the airfoil to pivot downwardly to present greater frontal area to the air stream trying to pass under the vehicle.

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Birmingham, MI, United States of America

James V Chabot