Compound Truck Leveler Segmented Platform Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing truck levelers lack the ability to efficiently manage multiple surface angles, which can lead to instability and increased risk of trailers rolling away or off the loading dock during height adjustments, especially when transitioning between lowered and raised positions.
Innovation Solution
A compound truck leveler design featuring an incline portion, a decline portion, and an extension portion, with adjustable angles between 3 and 25 degrees, and a pivot apparatus allowing movement between lowered and raised positions, incorporating hydraulic lifts and lateral load braces for stability and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional single-angle platform leveler is used, then the structure is simple, but the trailer stability during height adjustment is poor and rolling away risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The leveler platform is divided into multiple segments with different surface angles (incline portion at 3-25 degrees and decline portion at 1-20 degrees) instead of using a single flat platform. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function in managing trailer wheels during height adjustment, thereby improving stability without requiring an overly complex overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The leveler incorporates a pivot apparatus that allows the platform to move dynamically between lowered and raised positions. The pivot mechanism enables controlled elevation and descent of the trailer wheels while maintaining stability through the compound angle design, transforming a static structure into a dynamic system that adapts to operational requirements.
2Ease of operation
If the leveler uses a flat platform, then manufacturing is simple, but it cannot effectively manage multiple surface angles needed for stable wheel control
Solution Approach 1:
The platform is segmented into distinct portions (incline and decline) with specific angle ranges. The incline portion at 3-25 degrees handles the ascending phase of wheel elevation, while the decline portion at 1-20 degrees manages the descending phase. This segmentation provides effective wheel control capability by creating controlled slope transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The leveler utilizes specific angle parameters (incline at 3-25 degrees, decline at 1-20 degrees) to optimize wheel control. By changing the surface angle parameters across different portions of the platform, the design achieves effective wheel management during height adjustment while maintaining manufacturability through standardized angular configurations.
3Productivity
If hydraulic cylinders are added for height adjustment, then elevation control is improved, but the risk of trailer rolling away increases without proper restraint
Solution Approach 1:
The leveler design incorporates restraint features that prevent trailer rolling away before the harmful effect can occur. The compound angle platform creates natural geometric restraints that counteract the tendency of trailers to roll away during hydraulic elevation, applying preventive counter-action to the potential harmful movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The compound angle platform acts as an intermediary between the hydraulic lifting system and the trailer wheels. The inclined and declined surfaces mediate the force transmission during elevation, controlling the wheel movement path and preventing direct lateral forces that could cause rolling away while maintaining efficient height adjustment.
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 compound truck leveler effectively stabilizes trailers by minimizing the risk of rolling away or off the dock, ensuring safe and efficient height adjustments through controlled elevation and descent of wheels, enhancing safety and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A pivot apparatus allows movement of the leveler between the lowered position and the raised position
Implementation Method 2
hydraulic lifts and lateral load braces for stability and safety
Data Source
AI summary
A compound truck leveler for use upon a driveway abutting a loading dock is provided that includes an incline portion having a trailing edge disposed further from the driveway than its leading edges, and a decline portion having a leading edge rigidly attached to the trailing edge of the incline portion and disposed further from the driveway than its trailing edge. The leveler is pivotally attached to a pivot apparatus rigidly attached to the driveway adjacent to the front of the leveler wherein the leveler is limited only to rotational movement about the pivot apparatus between lowered and raised positions. Preferably, the leveler also includes an extension portion extending towards the loading dock and rigidly attached to the decline portion wherein the extension is substantially parallel with the driveway in the lowered position. The pivot point of the leveler is preferably disposed further from the driveway than the rear of the leveler.