3D Printed Horse Trailer With Stall Airflow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current horse transportation trailers face issues with structural integrity, inadequate natural lighting, restricted airflow, and environmental impact due to conventional manufacturing methods, which can lead to injuries, discomfort, and increased carbon footprint.
Innovation Solution
A horse transportation trailer system featuring a continuous 3D printed construction with a controllable internal airflow system, utilizing materials like polycarbonate, carbon fiber, and fiber glass for structural stability, and incorporating features such as bat-wing style windows and adjustable dividers to enhance natural lighting and airflow control, while minimizing noise and aerodynamic drag.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If aluminum is used for the walls of the trailer, then the wall structure is lightweight, but the wall becomes easily bent and dented when subjected to a horse's kick
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a wall structure with varying thickness - thinner aluminum in non-critical areas for weight reduction, and thicker aluminum in kick-resistant areas for strength. This allows the wall to be lightweight overall while providing localized strength where horses may kick.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction by combining aluminum walls with wooden or composite flooring and insulation layers. This multi-material approach creates a wall system that is lightweight yet structurally sound, distributing forces across different materials with complementary properties.
2Strength
If thicker aluminum layers are used for the walls, then the wall strength increases, but the aluminum becomes brittle and prone to cracking and breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent avoids using thick aluminum throughout the entire wall structure. Instead, it applies local quality by using thinner aluminum sections where full strength is not needed, reducing brittleness and cracking risk while maintaining adequate strength through strategic reinforcement only in high-stress areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates energy-absorbing elements and flexible connectors in the wall structure that cushion impacts before they reach the aluminum panels. This prevents sudden shock loads that would cause brittle aluminum to crack, allowing the use of thinner, more reliable aluminum sections.
3Strength
If aluminum is used for the floor of the trailer, then the floor structure is lightweight and durable, but the floor transfers heat, noise, and vibration from the road to the horse
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediary materials between the aluminum floor and the horse - specifically wooden or composite flooring layers and insulation materials. These intermediaries block the direct transfer of heat, noise, and vibration from the aluminum floor to the horse, while the aluminum structural floor beneath provides the required strength and durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite flooring construction combining aluminum structural layers with wooden or composite surface layers and insulation. This multi-material floor system maintains the lightweight and durable properties of aluminum while adding layers that reduce heat conduction, noise transmission, and vibration transfer to the horse.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional windows are used in the trailer, then the manufacturing is simple, but the natural lighting is inadequate with only 29 sq. ft. of window area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends window area into the vertical dimension by incorporating windows in the roof structure in addition to side walls. This three-dimensional window placement dramatically increases total glass area and natural lighting without complicating manufacturing, as roof windows can be integrated during the same assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs window frames and mounting structures that serve multiple functions - providing natural lighting, structural reinforcement, and integrated aerodynamic fairings. This multi-functionality increases window area without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity, as the same structural elements perform multiple roles.
5Ease of operation
If open windows are used to allow airflow through the trailer, then the airflow is simple and passive, but the aerodynamics are negatively affected by increased air drag
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of open windows with a controlled ventilation system using powered fans and adjustable vents. This substitution allows airflow to be maintained or improved while windows remain closed, eliminating the aerodynamic drag penalty of open windows while providing active control over interior airflow and temperature.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components such as adjustable vents, air ducts, and powered fans that mediate between the exterior environment and the trailer interior. These intermediaries enable controlled airflow through the trailer structure without requiring open windows, thus maintaining aerodynamic efficiency while providing adequate ventilation.
6Device complexity
If the trailer design allows airflow through windows, then the airflow system is simple, but the horses near the front receive less air than horses at the back
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the airflow system into multiple independent zones with individual adjustable vents and airflow controls for different sections of the trailer. This segmentation allows each horse or group of horses to receive appropriate airflow regardless of position, with each zone capable of independent adjustment to ensure fair and adequate ventilation throughout the entire trailer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic airflow control with adjustable vents, movable partitions, and powered fans that can adapt airflow distribution in real-time. This dynamic system responds to changing conditions and horse positions, actively balancing airflow across different trailer sections to ensure equitable air distribution without requiring a complex fixed infrastructure.
7Ease of manufacture
If horse transportation trailers are manufactured in separate components using welding and attachment components, then the manufacturing is conventional and familiar, but the structural integrity is affected by welding quality and attachment components are prone to failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges separate trailer components into integrated assemblies or even monolithic structures manufactured as single pieces using 3D printing technology. This consolidation eliminates welding joints and attachment components that are prone to failure, creating a unified structure with superior structural integrity while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through additive manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes traditional mechanical joining methods (welding and bolting) with 3D printing technology that creates monolithic or tightly integrated structures. This substitution eliminates the weak points inherent in assembled constructions, providing superior structural integrity without requiring familiar conventional manufacturing processes.
8Reliability
If conventional manufacturing methods are used, then the manufacturing process is established and reliable, but the environmental impact is negative with large carbon footprint and limited design options
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental manufacturing parameter from subtractive/conventional methods to additive 3D printing. This parameter change enables complex organic designs optimized for strength-to-weight ratio, reduces material waste, and lowers energy consumption and carbon footprint while maintaining or improving manufacturing reliability through digital fabrication processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite materials that can be manufactured through 3D printing, combining multiple materials with optimized properties in single integrated components. This approach reduces the need for separate parts and assembly operations, lowering manufacturing complexity and environmental impact while producing reliable, high-performance trailer structures with design flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrally formed horse transportation trailer including an internal airflow system designed to control airflow to individual horse stalls within the horse transportation trailer. The integrally formed horse transportation trailer includes an adjustable internal tie track, an external adjustable tie track, a fender skirt, a dress door, a moonroof, a climate control system, a bench set with an overhead clothes bar, a walkthrough door, an adjustable double-hinged divider, a side slide-in/slide out ramp, a rear slide-in/slide out ramp, and a removable rear loading compartment. The horse transportation trailer is further operable to haul in a forward and reverse facing direction.