Retractable Rail Wheels for Road-Rail Trailer Transfer Elimination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current freight transport systems, particularly involving truck trailers and rail transport, are inefficient and costly due to the time-consuming process of transferring loads between trucks and trains, and locomotives are limited in the number of trailers they can haul simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A truck trailer system equipped with retractable wheels and a strengthening cable system, allowing the system to engage and disengage with railroad tracks, enabling a single locomotive to transport multiple trailers efficiently by switching between road and rail travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If loads are transferred from truck to train station by crane, then freight transport can be completed, but the process is time consuming and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the truck trailer and railroad car into a single integrated unit. The trailer is equipped with retractable railroad wheels that can engage with railroad tracks, allowing the trailer to function as both a road vehicle and a rail vehicle. This eliminates the need for separate transfer operations between truck and train, as the same vehicle performs both functions sequentially.
Solution Approach 2:
The trailer is designed with multi-functionality, serving dual purposes as both a road-going vehicle and a rail vehicle. The retractable railroad wheels enable the trailer to operate on both roads and railroad tracks, making it a universal transport platform that can switch between transportation modes without requiring separate vehicles or transfer operations.
2Quantity of substance
If a locomotive transports multiple trailers, then transport capacity increases, but the number of trailers is limited by current systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the coupling mechanisms into a unified system where multiple trailers with retractable railroad wheels can be connected in a train configuration. The strengthening cable system integrates the coupling function across multiple trailers, allowing them to be hauled as a single unit by one locomotive, thereby increasing transport capacity while managing system complexity through standardized coupling procedures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If retractable wheels are added to enable rail engagement, then multi-modal transport is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The railroad wheels are designed to be retractable rather than fixed, allowing them to be extended when rail travel is needed and retracted when road travel is required. This dynamic configuration enables the trailer to adapt to different transportation modes as needed, providing versatility while managing complexity by only deploying the rail components when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractable railroad wheels are positioned and prepared in advance on the trailer frame, ready to be deployed when rail travel is needed. The actuator system is pre-configured to extend the wheels onto the tracks before the trailer needs to engage with the railroad, allowing for smooth transitions between road and rail modes without last-minute complications.
Data Source
AI summary
A truck trailer system including a connector vehicle with retractable wheels that are designed to engage with a railroad track is provided. The connector vehicle includes main wheels and at least one pair of secondary wheels, and an actuator assembly operably connected to the pair of secondary wheels. The actuator assembly is designed to actuate in a first direction to extend the pair of secondary wheels to engage with the railroad track, and in a second direction to retract the pair of secondary wheels to disengage with the railroad track. The truck trailer system may include a reinforcement assembly comprising at least one cable provided within a conduit, for connecting multiple units to be pulled at the same time via truck or locomotive. In embodiments, the reinforcement assembly may enable hauling of at least 10, or up to about 50 units via a single locomotive.