Aluminum Extendable Trailer With Pneumatic Roller Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing extendable flatbed trailers are heavy due to their steel construction, limiting the weight of loads they can carry and increasing fuel consumption, and are often used in their extended configuration only infrequently, making them inefficient for standard operations.
Innovation Solution
The design of an extendable flatbed trailer primarily made of aluminum, featuring front and rear flatbed sections that can move longitudinally relative to each other, with a slide member and pneumatic locking pins, allowing for various lengths configurations to optimize weight distribution and usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the trailer is constructed primarily of steel, then the structural strength and durability are improved, but the overall weight of the trailer increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining aluminum (for weight reduction) with strategic steel components (for strength where needed). The flatbed sections, connector sections, and support structures use aluminum construction while maintaining necessary structural integrity through design optimization and selective material placement.
2Length of moving object
If the trailer is designed in extended configuration, then the load-carrying length is increased, but the weight of the trailer structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The trailer is divided into separate modular sections (front flatbed section, connector section, rear flatbed section) that can be assembled in different configurations. This segmentation allows the trailer to achieve extended length when needed while maintaining a compact, lighter weight when sections are retracted or reconfigured.
Solution Approach 2:
The trailer employs dynamic reconfigurability where the connector section can move between extended and retracted positions relative to the flatbed sections. This dynamic adjustment allows the trailer to optimize its length and weight characteristics based on operational requirements.
3Ease of operation
If the trailer uses a slide member and locking pin mechanism, then the ease of length adjustment is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pneumatic actuators to automate the movement of locking pins and connector sections. This pneumatic system simplifies the operation of length adjustment by replacing manual mechanical operations with automated air-powered mechanisms, reducing operational complexity despite adding system components.
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
This design reduces the overall weight of the trailer when not in extended use, enhancing load-carrying capacity and reducing fuel consumption by allowing for efficient length adjustments based on load requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a first air spring located between the cross beam and the platform of the roller support assembly
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprising a front flatbed trailer section, a rear flatbed trailer section, a first support assembly carried by one of the front and rear flatbed trailer sections, and wherein the first support assembly at least partially disengages the other of the front and rear flatbed trailer sections. A method of extending a trailer comprising the steps of providing a first flatbed trailer section and a second flatbed trailer section with a slide member and a first support assembly, displacing the first support assembly in a first direction, separating the first and second flatbed trailer sections in a vertical direction, and moving one of the first and second flatbed trailer sections in a horizontal direction relative to the other of the first and second flatbed trailer sections.