Material Delivery Vehicle With Mid-Mount Side Conveyor Layout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicles for delivering top-dressing materials like mulch and loose aggregates are inefficient, requiring multiple trips and vehicles, and pose safety concerns due to weight distribution issues and space constraints for material dispensing.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle design featuring a forward material hopper for storing and delivering materials mechanically to a mid-mount side dispensing apparatus, combined with a rear 'dove tail' machinery platform for efficient loading and offloading of equipment, thereby centralizing weight and improving delivery efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If material is delivered in large trucks with rear positioned beds, then large quantities of material can be transported, but a large pile is produced on the ground requiring additional equipment to move material to the final location
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery system is segmented into multiple delivery points along the vehicle length. The material bed is divided into sections with conveyor belts at different positions, allowing material to be delivered at multiple locations simultaneously rather than forming one large pile at the rear
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from single-point rear delivery to multi-point lateral delivery along the vehicle's length. Conveyor belts extend material delivery from the rear toward the front and sides, distributing material across a longer spatial dimension to reduce pile concentration
2Ease of operation
If conveyor belt system is positioned at the rear end of the truck, then material can be dumped to the side, but additional weight at the rear shifts the truck's center of gravity rearward
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is segmented into multiple units distributed along the vehicle length rather than concentrated at the rear. This distributes the weight of the conveyor mechanism and delivered material more evenly across the chassis, improving weight balance
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor belt system extends laterally along the vehicle from front to rear, positioning delivery points at multiple longitudinal positions. This redistributes the mechanical weight and material load from the rear toward the center and front of the vehicle
3Ease of operation
If wheelbarrow is positioned to the side of the truck to catch dumped material, then material can be transferred, but this creates safety problems when the truck is parked on a road used by other vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The material transfer function is extracted from the roadside environment and moved to a controlled jobsite location. The extended conveyor system allows material to be delivered directly at the jobsite before the truck needs to reverse or reposition, eliminating the need to position wheelbarrows on active roadways
Solution Approach 2:
Material is delivered and transferred to wheelbarrows or other transport equipment at the jobsite location before the truck completes its positioning. This preliminary material transfer occurs while the truck is still in a safe, stationary position, eliminating the need to perform transfers on active roadways
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 vehicle enables efficient and safe delivery of materials and equipment in a single trip, minimizing waste and ensuring better weight distribution, thus addressing the inefficiencies and safety concerns of existing systems.
Implementation Method 1
The conveyor belt then moves the material laterally with respect to the truck
Data Source
AI summary
A material delivery vehicle includes a chassis, rear wheels, front wheels, and a passenger cab. The vehicle also includes a material bed, a delivery belt system, and an equipment bed. A walking floor type conveyor is positioned over the floor that moves material within the material bed to a position located at the rear of the material bed. The delivery belt system is mounted directly behind the material bed so that material being moved off the conveyor belt falls directly onto the delivery belt system. The delivery belt system has a conveyor belt with a delivery end. The material bed and equipment bed extend beyond the delivery belt system so as to form a notch adjacent the delivery belt system. The delivery end of the conveyor belt is similarly positioned above or closely adjacent the frame rail associated with the delivery side.