Angular Rub Rails for Flatbed Trailers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flatbed trailers experience significant wear and tear, particularly denting and tearing, due to side impacts, which compromise the strength and stability of the rub rails used for cargo restraint.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an angular rub rail design with angled corner extrusions and strategically placed holes, coupled with a C-shaped configuration and chamfers, enhances the strength and attachment points for cargo restraint devices, providing superior resistance to side impacts and increased area moment of inertia.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional rub rail design is used, then manufacturing is simple, but strength and resistance to side impacts is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The rub rail incorporates rounded corners instead of sharp 90-degree angles. This curvature distributes stress more effectively during side impacts, preventing stress concentration at corner points and significantly improving the rail's resistance to denting and tearing while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention modifies the geometric parameters of the rub rail by introducing angular configurations with specific corner radii and thickness variations. These parameter changes optimize the moment of inertia and structural stiffness, enhancing strength against side impacts without excessively complicating the overall design.
2Strength
If angular rub rail design is implemented, then strength from side impacts is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rounded corner design, while improving strength, requires curved forming capabilities in manufacturing. However, the curvature follows simple radial patterns that can be achieved through standard rolling or bending processes, balancing manufacturing feasibility with enhanced impact resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
By optimizing the angular parameters and corner radii to practical values, the design achieves superior strength while keeping dimensions compatible with standard manufacturing tolerances and processes, reducing the complexity increment from the angular configuration.
3Strength
If regular holes are cut in angled extrusion, then attachment strength is improved, but structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Holes are strategically positioned in specific zones of the angular rub rail where they provide attachment functionality while minimizing impact on overall structural integrity. The angular configuration allows holes to be placed in regions of lower stress concentration, maintaining both attachment strength and structural reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A rub rail coupled to a side rail including a first top notch and a first bottom notch, the rub rail including: a top chamfer; a top horizontal face diagonally connected to the top chamfer; a second top notch extending out of the top horizontal face; a side vertical face diagonally connected to the top chamfer; a bottom chamfer; a bottom horizontal face diagonally connected to the bottom chamfer; a second bottom notch extending out of the bottom horizontal face; wherein the second top notch couples to the first top notch, and wherein the second bottom notch couples to the first bottom notch.