Angular Trailer Rub Rail Assembly for Impact-Resistant Cargo Securement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rub rails on flatbed trailers are prone to denting and tearing, leading to wear and tear, which compromises the safety and stability of cargo and personnel.
Innovation Solution
An angular rub rail design with angled corners and strategically placed holes for attaching restraint devices, providing increased strength and resistance to impacts from multiple directions, and a side rail assembly with integrated features for enhanced stability and securement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional rub rails are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the rub rails suffer from denting and tearing due to side impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The rub rail is designed with an asymmetric angular cross-section featuring a prominent corner rather than a symmetric circular or rectangular shape. This asymmetric geometry concentrates material at the corner where side impacts most frequently occur, providing enhanced strength and impact resistance while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standard extrusion processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The rub rail incorporates curved or rounded features at the angular corner to distribute impact forces more effectively. The curved geometry helps prevent stress concentration points that would lead to denting and tearing, while the overall angular shape maintains the asymmetry principle for optimal impact resistance.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the rub rail is made stronger to withstand side impacts, then the durability improves, but the weight of the trailer increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rub rail features localized reinforcement at the angular corner through increased material concentration and strategic wall thickness variations. This local quality enhancement provides maximum durability at the impact-prone area while keeping the rest of the rail structure lightweight, thus improving durability without significantly increasing overall trailer weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The rub rail may incorporate composite material structures or hybrid construction methods combining different materials with complementary properties. This allows the corner region to have enhanced strength and durability characteristics while the rest of the structure uses lighter materials, optimizing the durability-to-weight ratio.
3Reliability
If anchor points are added for cargo securement, then the cargo retention security improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The angular corner of the rub rail serves multiple functions: it provides impact resistance from side collisions, acts as a structural reinforcement element, and simultaneously serves as an integrated anchor point for cargo securement devices. This multi-functionality improves cargo retention security without adding separate components, thereby avoiding increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design merges the protective function of the rub rail corner with the cargo securement function by integrating anchor points directly into the angular structure. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate anchorage systems, improving reliability while maintaining simplicity in the overall assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A side rail assembly for a flatbed trailer extruded together as one integrated piece, including: a top extension face; a top chamfer; a side vertical face; a top horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the top chamfer, the top horizontal face to step down into the top extension face, wherein the top extension face extends to provide a surface to attach floor boards to the side rail assembly; an inner vertical face; a bottom extension face; an extended flange coupled to the bottom extension face; a bottom chamfer; and a bottom horizontal face diagonally coupled to the side vertical face by the bottom chamfer, the bottom horizontal face also couples to the bottom extension face, wherein the bottom horizontal face extends to the extended flange to provide an ability to use flat hooks for cargo securement.