Wunibald Kamm | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1893-04-26)26 April 1893 |
| Died | October 11, 1966(1966-10-11) (aged 73) |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer,aerodynamicist |
| Awards | Automotive Hall of Fame |
Wunibald Kamm (26 April 1893 – 11 October 1966) was anautomobile designer,engineer, andaerodynamicist. 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 aKammback or a Kamm-tail.
One goal ofautomotive aerodynamics is to reduce the airturbulence, ordrag, caused by the shape of the automobile. Aerodynamic drag may be reduced either by reduction of frontal area or by reduction of the drag coefficient.[1] In bodies such as automobiles and airships, drag decreases after the rear of a car's cross-sectional area is reduced to fifty percent of the car's maximum cross section; "the best position is nearer 45 percent of the length, and ... to have this maximum cross-section nearer the rear end than the front, and its drag has proved even less".[2] There are other aspects of the car's design such as keeping the flow of air attached to the body far to the back of the car as possible to minimize pressure drag (theBernoulli relationship).[3] A design with less drag means higher efficiency and an increased maximumspeed, given the samepowertrain.
German Professor, Wunibald Kamm worked with aerodynamics engineer BaronReinhard 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-sizeprototype was developed in 1938. It was a four-doorsedan featuring a sharply truncated rear end. The test car represented a compromise between low air resistance and practicality in the automobile's size and shape.
In the 1920s, Kamm worked forDaimler designing engineering race car engines. Thereafter, a prototype, namely the Kamm “SHW Wagen” incorporated principles that have become standard parts of the car engineering toolbox. He paid particular attention to thesuspension and minimizing vehicle weight. These improvements included extremely low-weight design, analuminum semi-monocoque body,front wheel drive,boxer-style engines (horizontally opposed cylinders),independent suspension on all wheels, andcoil springs mated to hydraulicshock absorbers.[4] His comprehensive approach to automotive engineering and design presaged the concept of "Mechatronics," a word that did not come into existence until 1971.
Established in 1930, theResearch Institute of Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines located nearStuttgart (German:Forschungsinstitut für Kraftfahrwesen und Fahrzeugmotoren Stuttgart - FKFS) was called the "Kamm-Institut"[5] after its founder and long-time director.[6]
Kamm was inducted into theAutomotive Hall of Fame. He did pioneering work inaerodynamics, driving dynamics,tire technology, minimalist construction techniques,engine combustion efficiency.Wind tunnels were an effectively applied technology, and he "built the first full-scale wind tunnel for motor vehicles."[6] "Dr. Kamm, even today, and perhaps even more so because of his foresight, is considered one of the greatest researchers in automotive engineering." His work on turbulence is considered to have been a "breakthrough" and fundamental.[4]
He came to the U.S. as one of the first hundred German scientists stationed at theDayton, OhioWright-Patterson Air Force Base and remained there as a consulting engineer until 1953. That year, he went as a professor to theStevens Institute of Technology inHoboken, New Jersey. For three years beginning in 1955 he was head ofMechanical Engineering at theBattelle Memorial Institute in Frankfurt, Germany.[4]
In late summer 1938,BMW tested a prototype of the so-called "Kamm-Coupe" based on their328 chassis. It had adrag coefficient of only 0.25 compared to the great 1940Mille Miglia winning BMW 328 Touring Coupe with a drag coefficient of 0.35.[9] This automaker's naming of itscoupé model appears to be the earliest use of "Kamm" to publicly describe an automobile body incorporating the Koenig-Fachsenfeld's design patent.
The Kammback "cut-off tail" design continues to be popular. It often insinuates streamlining when used inproduction cars and is a design technique to make the vehicle look "sporty".[14][15][16] Kamm's design approach is found on popular mass-market vehicles,supercars,alternative fuel vehicles, as well as forrace cars.[17][18][19]
the SX/4 and Kammback are descended from the Spirit/Gremlin
The Eagle Kammback looks very much like the old Gremlin.
Vega wagon is called Kammback, after W. Kamm
... our Kammback ... Loving its sportyaerodynamic styling.
the Kamm-back quasi-hatchback rear end was actually considered a very sporty look in the 1970s
(1967 Plymouth Barracuda) It was also downright sportylooking with its quasi-Kamm-back tail and racing-style gas cap.
(1968 Corvette): Longer, narrower and with a Kammbacktail section and removable rear window, the new body ...
The Mach I option became the centerpiece around which, the "kammback" '71 Mustang was designed.
The windshield was raked back and a long, sloping fastback ended in a sliced-off Kamm-back tail.
