Side Underride Guard with Integrated Aerodynamic Skirt
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Solution Overview
Problem
Trailers experience high drag due to airflow under their elevated structure, leading to fuel inefficiency, and there is a risk of passenger vehicles underriding in collisions, causing damage and injury.
Innovation Solution
An integrated system combining an aerodynamic side skirt and a side underride protection system, featuring a support structure with cross-braces and a cable system, which reduces airflow under the trailer and provides impact resistance to prevent vehicle intrusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If side skirts are extended downwardly to reduce airflow under the trailer, then drag is reduced and fuel efficiency is improved, but the risk of passenger vehicles underriding the trailer in collisions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the aerodynamic side skirt and the underride protection guard into a single integrated structure. The side skirt extends downward to reduce airflow and drag, while the underride guard extends forward from the front of the trailer to prevent vehicle intrusion. This merging allows both fuel efficiency improvement and safety enhancement to be achieved simultaneously through one unified component system.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated side skirt and underride guard structure serves multiple functions: it provides aerodynamic benefits by reducing airflow under the trailer, maintains underride protection capability by extending forward to block vehicle intrusion, and consolidates two safety/aerodynamic features into a single universal component that addresses both energy loss and harmful factors.
2Reliability
If an integrated side skirt and underride guard system is implemented, then both aerodynamic performance and safety are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the side skirt and underride guard into a single integrated structure, the patent reduces the number of separate components that would need to be manufactured, installed, and maintained. This integration approach improves reliability through consolidated safety and aerodynamic performance while actually reducing device complexity compared to having separate independent systems.
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 system enhances fuel efficiency by reducing drag and minimizes the risk of passenger compartment intrusion during side impacts by absorbing kinetic energy and restricting vehicle movement.
Implementation Method 1
absorbing kinetic energy and restricting vehicle movement
Implementation Method 2
reduce airflow under the trailer
Data Source
AI summary
A side underride system configured to be coupled to a trailer is disclosed. The side underride system comprises a support system configured to be positioned below the trailer to provide side underride protection. The support system includes a cable system and a brace system. The cable system is configured to couple to the trailer. The brace system includes a plurality of cross-braces that each extend at least partially across a width of the trailer, are spaced apart at intervals along a length of the trailer, and are configured to capture the cable system.