Abstract: An aerodynamic container adapted for receipt around a front portion of a pair of skis or a front portion of a snowboard, when the equipment is mounted on a vehicle ski rack. The container provides improved aerodynamic airflow with reduced wind noise and buffeting. The container helps improve vehicle fuel efficiency substantially by reducing the incremental drag of a loaded ski rack by up to 50 percent, while protecting valuable alpine equipment form potential damage during transit. The container includes a hard plastic housing having a split first housing member and an identical split second housing member. A bottom portion of the first housing member is hinged to a bottom portion of the second housing member for opening to the inside of the housing members. Top portions of the two housing members are releasably attached using hand operated release latches. The latches are used for securing the two housing members around the skis or snowboard.

Abstract: A flow directing element, such as a vane for a turbine engine compressor, has a variable chord to improve compressor surge margin without compromising compressor efficiency. The vane has an airfoil section (70) with a leading edge (80), a trailing edge (82), a root (84) and a tip (88). The chord of the airfoil generally increases from a first value at the root to a second larger value at a part span location (110) intermediate the root and the tip so that when the airfoil is installed in a compressor, the location of the trailing edge becomes closer to the compressor discharge as the spanwise distance from the root increases. The chord is generally constant from the part span location to the tip.

Abstract: The end wall of the compressor adjacent the stator vanes and compressor blades is configured so that the annular region between the vanes and blades is held at a constant area and that the flow path convergence of the stator is increased to compensate for the loss of convergence due to the reduction of convergence in the annular region between vanes and blades.