Tank loading vehicle

Abstract

To provide a tank loading vehicle which can enhance rigidity of a bracket of a side guard.SOLUTION: A tank loading vehicle comprises: a tank lower device 7 which is provided below a tank 2 which is integrated on a vehicle body frame through sub frames 5; and a side guard 6 which is at a lower side of the tank 2 and provided between a front wheel and a rear wheel, and the tank lower device 7 and the side guard 6 are supported by a common bracket 12 fixed to the sub frames 5. The pair of left and right sub frames 5 is provided on the left and right sides of the lower side of the tank 2, the common bracket 12 includes: rectangular and annular guard support parts 21 which are joined to fitting surfaces of the pair of sub frames 5; and a device support part 23 which is formed of a transverse beam member for integrating the left and right pair of guard support parts 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tank-equipped vehicle in which the rigidity of a bracket supporting a side guard for preventing entrapment, which is located below the tank, is increased. [Background technology]

[0002] Tank-equipped vehicles include, for example, tank trucks in which the truck chassis and tank are integrated, and tank trailers in which the tank vehicle is towed by a tractor. Such tank-equipped vehicles have a long distance between the front and rear wheels, so they need to prevent the tank from getting caught in the side of the vehicle when turning corners, and are provided with side guards holding multiple guard pipes, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. The side guards on both the left and right sides are supported by multiple guard brackets that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and protrude in the width direction of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-276646 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a tank-equipped vehicle, the side guards are subject to shaking due to inertial forces in the forward and backward directions as the vehicle accelerates and decelerates when starting, stopping, or changing speed. Meanwhile, the guard brackets that support the side guards are attached by joining them to a subframe that is installed under the tank. However, because the side guards are attached in a cantilevered state to the tip of the guard brackets that protrude in the width direction of the vehicle body, the inertial force of the side guards that occurs when the vehicle is traveling places a moment load on the joints of the guard brackets, making them prone to breakage. To address this issue, it is possible to increase the rigidity of the joints to the subframe by adding fixing brackets, etc., but this would increase the number of parts, increase the number of labor hours, and increase the mass of the vehicle body.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In order to solve the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a tank-equipped vehicle in which the rigidity of the side guard brackets is increased. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The tank-mounted vehicle of the present invention has an under-tank device located under a tank that is integrated onto a vehicle body frame via a subframe, and a side guard provided below the tank between the front and rear wheels, with the under-tank device and the side guard supported by a common bracket fixed to the subframe. It is also desirable that the subframes are provided in a pair on both the left and right sides of the underside of the tank, and that the common bracket be composed of a rectangular annular guard support portion joined to the mounting surfaces of the pair of subframes, and an equipment support portion made of a cross beam member that integrates the pair of left and right guard support portions. Furthermore, it is desirable that the common bracket be constructed by joining multiple steel members, with a pair of vertical members constituting the rectangular ring-shaped guard support portion being joined to both ends of the cross beam member constituting the device support portion, and with cross members being joined to each of the vertical members. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the common bracket supporting the side guard also supports the under-tank device, so that the rigidity is higher than that of the conventional guard bracket that supports only the side guard. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a portion of an embodiment of a tank-equipped vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower part of the tank, showing one embodiment of a support structure for a side guard. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing an assembly state of a common bracket in a tank trailer in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first example of a specific configuration of a common bracket. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram showing a second example of a specific configuration of the common bracket. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lower portion of a tank, showing a conventional support structure for a side guard. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment of a tank-mounted vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a part of the tank-mounted vehicle of this embodiment. In particular, the tank-mounted vehicle shown in the figure is a tank trailer, and the tank side vehicle is shown. As shown in the figure, the tank side vehicle 1 of this tank trailer is mounted on a vehicle body frame equipped with tires 3, the rear wheels of which are the tank 2. The tank trailer is configured so that the front side of the tank side vehicle 1 is connected to a tractor (not shown), which is a towing vehicle equipped with a driver's seat (cabin). In this embodiment, the tank side vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be referred to as a tank trailer 1 in the following description.

[0010] The tank trailer 1 is filled with a cargo (high-pressure low-temperature liquefied gas such as LNG in this embodiment) in its tank 2. The tank trailer 1 used to transport such cargo is provided with a valve operation box 2a at the rear of the tank 2, in which a circuit is configured with fluid devices such as valves and instruments so that the supply and discharge of the cargo filled in the tank 2 can be controlled. In addition, since the tank trailer 1 of this embodiment is particularly one in which low-temperature liquefied gas is stored in the tank 2, a pressurized evaporator 7 that vaporizes the low-temperature liquefied gas is attached to the underside of the tank 2 as an under-tank device.

[0011] The tank trailer 1 has a tank 2 mounted on a body frame, which is joined together by welding to form a single unit. The tank trailer 1 has two axles with four tires on each side arranged front and rear at the rear of the body frame, and a fender 8 is provided to cover the tires 3. Meanwhile, a jack 4 is provided at the front, which is connected to a tractor (not shown). The tank trailer 1 has the tractor tires (front wheels) located in front of the jack 4, and side guards 6 are provided on both the left and right sides between the rear of the jack 4 and the fender 8 covering the rear wheels to prevent the vehicle from being caught in the sides of the vehicle when turning left or right.

[0012] The tank trailer 1 of this embodiment proposes a structure in which the strength of the guard bracket supporting the side guard 6 is increased compared to the conventional structure. First, the structure of the conventional guard bracket will be briefly explained. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the lower part of the tank, showing the conventional support structure for the side guard. A subframe 102 is integrally provided in the longitudinal direction on the underside of the tank 101, and a guard bracket 103 is joined thereto.

[0013] The guard bracket 103 is made of angle steel. Specifically, a horizontally long cross beam member 111 that passes under the tank 101 and protrudes from the left and right in the vehicle width direction, and a horizontally short cross member 112 that is provided to protrude from the subframe 102 are integrally formed with a vertical inner vertical member 113 located on the inside and joined to the subframe 102, and a vertical outer vertical member 114 located on the outside and provided on the side guard 105 side, which are perpendicular to each other.

[0014] A plurality of such guard brackets 103 are formed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and side guards 105 are attached to the guard brackets 103. A support frame 115 is fixed to each of the side guards 105 in correspondence with the plurality of guard brackets 103, and three guard pipes 116 are arranged above and below and fixed in parallel to the plurality of support frames 115 aligned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The support frame 115 is formed from angle steel, just like the brackets. The support frame 115 formed in a figure-9 shape has a rectangular ring-shaped portion fixed to the outer vertical member 114 of the guard brackets 103, and the three guard pipes 116 are fixed to a straight portion extending downward on the outer side in the width direction of the vehicle body.

[0015] However, as mentioned above, such a conventional side guard support structure was prone to damage at its base. That is, the guard bracket 103 supporting the side guard 105 was prone to damage at the joint between the inner vertical member 113 and the subframe 102 due to the front-rear vibration of the side guard 105. In this embodiment, in order to solve this problem, the rigidity of the bracket supporting the side guard is increased by integrating the guard bracket with another bracket.

[0016] Another bracket integrated with the guard bracket 103 is an equipment bracket 107 that supports a pressurized evaporator 106 that is also located under the tank 101. The pressurized evaporator 106, which is an under-tank equipment, vaporizes low-temperature liquefied gas by heat exchange with the outside, and is incorporated in a box-shaped frame 160 fixed to the bottom of the tank 101. The box-shaped frame 160 is supported by a plurality of equipment brackets 107 joined to the subframe 102, similar to the guard bracket 103. The equipment bracket 107 is also made of angle steel, and is formed by vertical angle steel 122 joined to the subframe 102 being perpendicular to long horizontal angle steel 121 that passes under the tank 101 and protrudes from the left and right in the vehicle width direction.

[0017] Here, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the lower part of the tank with respect to the support structure of the side guard in this embodiment, similar to Fig. 6. In the tank trailer 1 of this embodiment, a plurality of common brackets 12 are joined by welding to a subframe 5 provided on the underside of the tank 2, and both the pressurized evaporator 7 and the side guard 6, which are under-tank devices, are supported by these common brackets 12.

[0018] 3 is a simplified diagram showing the installation state of the common bracket 12 in the tank trailer 1 in the vehicle body longitudinal direction. In this diagram, the common bracket 12 is shown in solid lines, and the tank 2, subframe 5, pressurized evaporator 7, and side guard 6 are shown in dashed lines. First, a pair of subframes 5 are integrally provided on both the left and right sides below the tank 2 in the vehicle body longitudinal direction passing through the drawing, and the tank 2 is mounted and integrated with the vehicle body frame via the subframes 5. The common bracket 12 is joined to the pair of subframes 5, making it possible to support both the pressurized evaporator 7 and the side guard 6.

[0019] The common bracket 12 has a symmetrical shape, and is composed of rectangular ring-shaped guard support parts 21 on both sides, and an apparatus support part 23 that integrates the pair of left and right guard support parts 21. The left and right guard support parts 21 of the common bracket 12 are joined to the corresponding left and right sub-frames 5, respectively, to form an integrated unit, and the pressurized evaporator 7 and side guard 6 are supported by the common bracket 12. In the tank trailer 1 of this embodiment, three common brackets 12 are arranged at three locations in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body as shown in FIG. 2, and the pressurized evaporator 7 is fixed to the common brackets so that it is suspended therefrom. Note that the sub-frame 5 of this embodiment is formed wide so that the mounting surface of the common bracket 12 is the same vertical plane.

[0020] The pressurized evaporator 7 has its box-shaped frame 70 fixed to the equipment support portion 23 of the common bracket 12 by bolting, and is supported in place of the conventional equipment bracket 107 shown in FIG. 6. Furthermore, the side guard 6 is fixed to the guard support portion 21 of the common bracket 12 by bolting. Since the side guard 6 is a long member that is disposed over a long range between the front and rear wheels of the tank trailer 1, a guard bracket 13 shown in FIG. 2 is also added to prevent the side guard from buckling or bending and more reliably suppress the occurrence of entrapment accidents. The guard bracket 13 is configured as a rectangular member of the same size as the guard support portion 21 of the common bracket 12.

[0021] The side guard 6 has a support frame 25 formed in the shape of a figure 9, similar to that shown in the conventional example, with a straight portion extending downward from the annular rectangular portion on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and three guard pipes 27 are fixed in parallel to the top and bottom of the straight portion extending downward on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The annular portion of the support frame 25 of the side guard 6 is fixed by bolts to a common bracket 12 (guard support portion 21) and a guard bracket 13, which have replaced the conventional guard bracket 103.

[0022] Next, a specific configuration of the common bracket 12 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Both the common bracket 12A shown in Figure 4 and the common bracket 12B shown in Figure 5 are made of angle steel. First, in the common bracket 12A shown in Figure 4, the device support section 23 is made of a single horizontal beam member 31, and four vertical members 32 constituting the guard support section 21 are joined perpendicularly to the horizontal beam member 31 arranged so that the lower surface is flat. The vertical member 32 has a cutout portion 321 formed to match the mountain shape of the horizontal beam member 31, and is assembled so as to fit into the cutout portion.

[0023] A pair of vertical members 32 constituting the left and right guard support parts 21 are connected to a horizontal member 33 at the opposite end of the cutout 321 so as to span the pair of vertical members 32. The horizontal member 33 is also formed with cutouts 331 at both ends that match the mountain shape of the vertical members 32 and is assembled so as to fit together. In this common bracket 12A, the two vertical members 32 located on the inside as shown in the front view are joined to the subframe 5 by welding, and the outer vertical members 32 and horizontal beam members 31 are formed with multiple through holes for passing bolts, and the side guards 6 and the pressurized evaporator 7 are fixed at the respective locations by bolting.

[0024] Next, in the common bracket 12B shown in Fig. 5, the device support part 23 is composed of a single horizontal beam member 41, and two pairs of vertical members 42, 43 constituting the guard support part 21 are joined perpendicularly to the upper surface of the horizontal beam member 41 arranged so as to bend downward. Since the corners of the ends of the horizontal beam member 41 are rounded, the vertical members 42, 43 have different widths due to the difference in the width of the horizontal beam member 41 to which they are joined. A horizontal member 44 is joined to the pair of vertical members 42, 43 constituting the left and right guard support parts 21 so as to span between them.

[0025] The width of the horizontal member 44 is formed to match the width of the vertical member 42. The horizontal member 44 has cutouts 441 at both ends that match the mountain-shaped shapes of the vertical members 42, 43, and is assembled so as to fit together. In this common bracket 12B, the two vertical members 43 located on the inside as shown in the front view are joined to the subframe 5 by welding, and the outer vertical member 42 and the horizontal beam member 41 are formed with a plurality of through holes for passing bolts, and the side guards 6 and the pressurized evaporator 7 are fixed at the respective locations by bolting.

[0026] In the tank trailer 1 of this embodiment, the common bracket 12 supporting the side guard 6 also supports the pressurized evaporator 7, and therefore has a higher rigidity than the guard bracket 103 supporting only the side guard 105 shown in FIG. 6. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a strength that will not be damaged by the shaking of the side guard 6 that it supports. In addition, the common bracket 12 can reduce the number of brackets used in the tank trailer 1, thereby reducing costs, reducing the number of assembly steps, and achieving a reduction in the mass of the entire vehicle. Furthermore, such a common bracket 12 has a simple structure in which multiple members made of rod-shaped steel materials such as angle steel are joined together.

[0027] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, although the bracket is made of angle steel in the above embodiment, it may be made of a steel member other than angle steel, or may be made by processing a steel plate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...tank trailer 2...tank 3...tire 5...subframe 6...side guard 7...pressurized evaporator 12...common bracket 21...guard support section 23...device support section 25...support frame 27...guard pipe

Claims

1. A tank-mounted vehicle having an under-tank device located under a tank that is integrated onto a vehicle body frame via a subframe, and a side guard provided under the tank between a front wheel and a rear wheel, A tank-equipped vehicle, wherein the under-tank device and the side guard are supported by a common bracket fixed to the subframe.

2. 2. The tank-mounted vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the subframes are provided in a pair on both the left and right sides of the underside of the tank, and the common bracket is composed of a rectangular annular guard support portion joined to the mounting surfaces of the pair of subframes, and an apparatus support portion made of a cross beam member that integrates the pair of left and right guard support portions.

3. 3. The tank-equipped vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the common bracket is formed by joining multiple steel members, and a pair of vertical members that constitute the rectangular annular guard support portion are joined to both ends of a cross beam member that constitutes the equipment support portion, and a cross member is joined to each of the vertical members.

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