Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Bellows Vehicle

An air inflated bellows vehicle pumps air with wind resistance.
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The rider of this vehicle is inside a cutout section of these large bellows. Pedalling inflates the bellows and excess pressure, once the bellows are filled to capacity, reaches a working pressure and begins to turn the air motor of the drive wheel.

Once the drive wheel begins to turn, the bellows, opened at ninety degrees recieve outside pressure from wind resistance. This wind resistance attempts to close the bellows increasing the pressure inside, and thus the operating pressure of the vehicle.

Changing a gear results in rapid closing of the bellows by pedal power, which in combination with a diminishing air resistance factor rapidly accelerates the vehicle. Once at speed from this specific acceleration event, switching back again increases output pwer gradually as the bellows reinflate, increasing wind resistance until vertical again.

rcarty, Oct 22 2013

Rough Sketch http://i40.tinypic.com/mx2exe.jpg
[rcarty, Oct 25 2013]

Bellows Vehicle http://imgur.com/A0Tn6bj
[rcarty, Nov 16 2013]

[link]






       A new way to "do the worm", I see...
Vernon, Oct 22 2013
  

       Drawing please! (Not that I'm having trouble visualising it; I just like your drawings.)
spidermother, Oct 23 2013
  

       //This wind resistance attempts to close the bellows increasing the pressure inside, and thus the operating pressure of the vehicle// Ingenious! If you added sails or vanes to the bellows, then you could create enough pressure to power the vehicle entirely from its own forward motion!
pocmloc, Oct 23 2013
  

       Would that increase the output pwer sufficiently?
normzone, Oct 23 2013
  

       Would what? I might do a patent style drawing a little later.
rcarty, Oct 23 2013
  

       What [spidermother] said... well that, and a whacky- inflatable- flailing- tube- arm co pilot would be good too.   

       me2
pashute, Oct 24 2013
  

       I'm going to get around to drawing, but I tend to use halfbakery on commutes and commodes, so drawing isn't always possible.
rcarty, Oct 24 2013
  

       Well a picture may be worth a thousand words, but there's hardly ever a need to bellow...   

       Even with the diagram, it seems to me that the rider of this vehicle is being transported head-first, on his back, in direct contradiction of any aerodynamic principles we commonly understand. Is the bellows propelling the illustrated vehicle with push-power, or is the bellows action inverted into pull-power for the air motor of the front drive wheel? I don't have the engineering credentials of most of the frequent participants here, but I would bet that there is a signicant loss of power efficiency in that design. Which is especially important if the vehicle is powered by a human pedaller.
jurist, Oct 28 2013
  

       Really didn't put much thought into it. It's air powered. Pedalling inflates the bellows by pulling air in. When pressure is sufficient drive wheel turns. Air resistance compresses bellows conerting resistnce into work.   

       Assume pull power. Gust from bellows turns wheel.
rcarty, Oct 28 2013
  

       "marked-for-tagline" -   

       " Really didn't put much thought into it "   

       Nice sketch though, I'd drive one.
normzone, Oct 28 2013
  
      
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