Adjustable Airflow Directors for Trailer Drag Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Long-haul cargo trailers experience significant aerodynamic drag due to turbulent airflow, leading to increased fuel consumption and Nitrogen Oxide emissions, as well as premature wear and noise from transient wind-force loading.
Innovation Solution
A cargo trailer system with adjustable air-flow directors supported by multiple positional adjustment types, including platform attachers, rotators, and spring biasers, to optimize the positioning of air-flow directors relative to the cargo-supporting platform, reducing aerodynamic drag and enhancing airflow smoothness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional trailers are used without aerodynamic modifications, then the device complexity is low, but aerodynamic drag increases significantly leading to higher fuel consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The aerodynamic system is divided into separate modular components including air-flow directors, skirts, and fairings that can be independently positioned and adjusted. Each component addresses specific airflow problems in different regions of the trailer, allowing optimized aerodynamic performance without requiring a completely complex integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The air-flow directors are designed with adjustable positioning capabilities, allowing them to be dynamically repositioned to optimize airflow control under different operating conditions. This dynamic adjustability improves fuel efficiency by adapting to varying speeds and cargo configurations without requiring a permanently complex fixed structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If air-flow directors are added to reduce turbulent airflow, then aerodynamic drag decreases, but the device complexity and structural weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Air-flow directors are positioned as intermediary elements between the trailer body and the surrounding airflow. These directors act as mediators that redirect airflow smoothly around the trailer, reducing turbulence without requiring complete redesign of the trailer structure. The directors are mounted on adjustable supports that allow optimization of their positioning to maximize aerodynamic benefit while minimizing structural complexity.
3Productivity
If multiple positional adjustments are implemented for air-flow directors, then aerodynamic performance is optimized, but the ease of operation and adjustment time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism incorporates dynamic positioning capabilities that allow air-flow directors to be moved to multiple predetermined optimal positions. The system uses adjustable supports with multiple degrees of freedom, enabling operators to configure the directors for different operating conditions such as varying speeds or cargo types, thereby optimizing aerodynamic performance across diverse scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows adjustment of key geometric parameters of the air-flow directors, including their angular orientation and distance from the trailer surface. By changing these parameters, the system optimizes airflow control for different operating conditions, balancing the trade-off between aerodynamic performance and the complexity of adjustment operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system significantly reduces turbulent airflow and aerodynamic drag, resulting in improved fuel economy and lower Nitrogen Oxide emissions, while also reducing wear and noise associated with wind-force loading.
Implementation Method 1
Most large long-haul cargo trailers exhibit less than optimal aerodynamic performance during highway operation. At highway speeds, conventional trailers develop a substantial amount of turbulent airflow in the region between the axles below the trailer box. This turbulence results in significant aerodynamic drag
Implementation Method 2
at least one spring biaser structured and arranged to spring bias such at least one support to place the at least one air-flow director in the at least one useful aerodynamic rest-position relative to the at least one cargo-supporting platform
Data Source
AI summary
A side skirt assembly for attachment to a trailer of a tractor-trailer, particularly to a trailer frame comprising transverse structural support members extending between sides of the trailer. The side skirt assembly comprises an elongated skirt panel, an elongated support and one or more skirt support members. The side skirt assemble comprises an inner surface and an outer surface. The elongated support is coupled to the elongated skirt panel on the inner surface thereof proximate an upper edge of the elongated skirt panel and extends at least a portion of the length of the elongated skirt panel. The more skirt support members couple the elongated skirt panel to a corresponding one or more or of the transverse structural support members.