Recessed Wood Board Trailer Deck to Reduce Weld Fatigue
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing trailer designs with metal decks and wooden nail strips experience high force transmittance values at welds, leading to weld fatigue and failure over time, due to the discontinuity between the metal floor and wood boards, which complicates load securement and reduces trailer longevity.
Innovation Solution
A trailer design featuring a metal deck with recessed portions for wooden boards, where the lower deck surface is welded to crossmembers, creating a continuous surface that reduces peak loads on welds and allows for better attachment of load securement devices, using extruded metal floor sections and side rails with specific geometries to support the wooden boards and distribute forces evenly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wooden boards are placed on metal deck with discontinuous support, then load securement is enabled, but weld force transmittance increases causing weld fatigue and failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the wooden board support function into the metal deck structure itself by creating recessed portions with continuous support. The wooden boards are positioned in recesses that extend through the metal deck, allowing continuous support from the crossmembers to the wooden boards, eliminating the discontinuity that causes high weld forces. This integration resolves the contradiction by enabling load securement through the wooden boards while preventing weld fatigue through continuous structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed portions in the metal deck act as intermediaries between the crossmembers and the wooden boards. These recesses provide a continuous support path that distributes loads from the wooden boards directly to the crossmembers without concentrating forces at weld points. The intermediary structure enables both load securement functionality and weld protection simultaneously.
2Strength
If metal deck is made continuous for strength, then structural integrity improves, but attachment of load securement devices becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the metal deck structure by creating recessed portions that penetrate through the deck. These segments provide localized areas for wooden board insertion while maintaining the overall continuity and strength of the metal deck. The segmentation allows attachment of load securement devices to the wooden boards in the recesses without compromising the structural integrity of the continuous metal deck framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed portions create local variations in the metal deck structure where wooden boards can be attached. These localized recesses provide the necessary attachment capability for load securement devices while the rest of the metal deck remains continuous and strong. The local quality change enables attachment functionality without affecting the overall structural integrity.
3Ease of operation
If wooden boards are exposed to elements, then load securement function is maintained, but wooden boards deteriorate faster
Solution Approach 1:
The wooden boards are nested within the recessed portions of the metal deck structure. This nesting arrangement protects the wooden boards from direct exposure to environmental elements while maintaining their load securement function. The metal deck recesses act as protective enclosures that shield the wooden boards from weather, moisture, and other deteriorating factors, thereby extending their service life while preserving their operational functionality.
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 continuous floor plank surface significantly reduces weld force transmittance levels, extending the trailer's longevity by minimizing weld failure and allowing for easier attachment of load securement devices, while maintaining a dry environment for the wooden boards.
Implementation Method 1
The lower deck surface is welded to the plurality of crossmembers
Data Source
AI summary
A flatbed, step-deck, double-drop deck, or lowboy trailer assembly comprises a plurality of metal crossmembers extending in a transverse direction of the trailer assembly; a metal deck supported by the plurality of crossmembers, the metal deck having an upper deck surface and a lower deck surface; and a pair of parallel wooden boards extending in a longitudinal direction of the trailer assembly proximate respective laterally opposite sides of the trailer assembly. Each wooden board in the pair of wooden boards is located in a respective recessed portion of the metal deck. The lower deck surface is situated between and separates a lower surface of each wooden board from the plurality of metal cross members. The lower deck surface is welded to the plurality of crossmembers.