Self-Propelled Transfer Tank Loading for Dump Truck Liquid Hauling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tanker trucks and trailers are inefficient for transporting both liquid and solid payloads, leading to increased capital and operating costs due to the need for separate vehicles and potential payload contamination, while dump trucks with external lifting devices fail to efficiently utilize cargo volume and maintain payload integrity.
Innovation Solution
A motorized transfer tank for dump trucks, equipped with an electric motor, support frame, and drive axle assembly, allowing self-propulsion onto and off dump bodies without external equipment, optimizing liquid payload storage and preventing contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a tanker truck is used to transport liquid payloads, then liquid transport capability is improved, but the vehicle cannot transport solid payloads and requires separate vehicles for solid materials
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines a liquid storage tank with a solid material dump body into a single vehicle platform, enabling the vehicle to transport both liquid and solid payloads using the same powertrain, chassis, and operational systems. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate tanker trucks and dump trucks, directly resolving the contradiction between payload versatility and transport efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges two previously separate vehicles (tanker truck and dump truck) into one integrated vehicle by combining the liquid storage tank and solid material dump body. This consolidation allows simultaneous or sequential transport of different payload types, improving overall fleet productivity while maintaining adaptability to various transport needs.
2Productivity
If a tanker truck is used to transport contaminated liquid payloads, then liquid transport capability is maintained, but the vehicle cannot be reused for potable water without hazardous cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates liquid payload transport and solid payload transport into distinct compartments (liquid storage tank and solid material dump body). This physical segmentation prevents cross-contamination between different payload types, allowing the vehicle to transport contaminated liquids in one trip and potable water or food-grade materials in another trip without requiring hazardous cleaning of the entire vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid storage tank is designed as a removable or separable component from the solid material dump body. This extraction capability allows the liquid tank to be easily removed, cleaned, or replaced, enabling rapid transition between different liquid payloads and preventing contamination carryover between trips with different payload requirements.
3Ease of operation
If a storage tank is lifted by external crane into dump body, then liquid payload transport is enabled, but the process requires external lifting equipment and increases operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The motorized transfer tank is equipped with self-propulsion capabilities including drive axles, wheels, and a motor controller that enables the tank to move itself under its own power. This self-service capability eliminates the need for external cranes, gantries, or other lifting equipment to load the tank into the dump body, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the traditional mechanical lifting system (cranes, gantries, external hoists) with a self-propulsion system integrated into the tank. The motor controller, drive axles, and wheel assembly create a self-contained mechanical system that enables the tank to move independently, eliminating complex external lifting equipment and simplifying the loading operation.
4Volume of stationary object
If a cylindrical tank is placed in rectangular dump body, then liquid payload transport is possible, but substantial cargo volume is wasted around the tank
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a cylindrical tank to an elliptical tank cross-section that better matches the rectangular profile of the dump body. The elliptical shape with curved sides and flat bottom maximizes the use of available cargo volume by reducing the empty spaces between the tank and dump body walls, thereby improving payload delivery efficiency without requiring additional trips.
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
Enables simultaneous transport of solid and liquid payloads without cross-contamination, reducing capital and operating costs by utilizing dump truck capacity efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
an electric motor attached to the motorized transfer tank
Implementation Method 2
a gearbox driven by the electric motor
Implementation Method 3
a drive axle assembly rotatably coupled to the first longitudinal frame member and the second longitudinal frame member. The drive axle assembly includes an axle assembly having a steel shaft; a first flanged steel wheel affixed to the steel shaft
Data Source
AI summary
A motorized transfer tank includes an electric motor and related control equipment to enable the transfer tank to propel itself into and out of the dump body of a transfer dump truck without the use of cranes or winches. The motorized transfer tank enables a transfer dump truck equipped for transporting solid payloads to carry liquid payloads safely and economically by loading and unloading the motorized transfer tank from the truck's dump body and/or a transfer trailer by operation of the electric motor and a battery included with the motorized transfer tank. When not being used to transport liquid payloads, the motorized transfer tank may be unloaded from the transfer dump truck and/or the transfer trailer onto a stationary tank stand, allowing the transfer trailer and dump truck to be used for transporting other payloads.