Sliding Arch Cover Assembly for Deforming Trailer Sidewalls
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing removable cover systems for dump bodies and trailers fail to adapt to the deformation of lateral walls during loading and unloading, leading to mechanical stresses and potential jamming due to non-uniform thermal expansion and deformation effects.
Innovation Solution
A removable cover system featuring arches with sliders in traveler tracks, a spring tensioning device, and a protection mechanism to accommodate wall deformation, allowing the flexible cover to move freely and adapt to changes in wall distance and angle without operator intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a rigid parallelepiped structure is assumed for the trailer/dump body, then the cover system structure is simple, but the system cannot adapt to wall deformation during loading and unloading, leading to high mechanical stresses and potential jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The arch is designed with a hollow cross-section containing internal plates and spacers that can slide relative to each other along longitudinal slots. This dynamic internal structure allows the arch to adapt its shape and accommodate wall deformations during loading and unloading, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and adaptability to deformation
Solution Approach 2:
The arch's internal configuration changes through the relative movement of plates and spacers within the hollow section. The longitudinal slots enable parameter changes in the arch's internal geometry, allowing it to absorb dimensional changes of the support walls without compromising structural integrity
2Ease of manufacture
If the arch structure is fixed and rigid, then manufacturing and installation are simple, but the system experiences high mechanical stresses at the arches and flexible covers during wall deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The arch is segmented into multiple components including the hollow arch body, internal plates, spacers, and screw-bolt fastening assemblies. These segmented parts can move relative to each other through longitudinal slots, allowing the structure to absorb stresses from wall deformations while maintaining ease of assembly through standardized connection elements
Solution Approach 2:
The internal plates and spacers within the hollow arch can slide dynamically along longitudinal slots, transforming the rigid arch into a semi-dynamic structure that can absorb mechanical stresses from wall deformations during loading and unloading operations
3Stability of the object's composition
If the arches are firmly fixed to the lateral walls, then the cover system is stable, but the sliders jam in the track when the walls deform beyond elastic limits
Solution Approach 1:
The arch's internal structure with sliding plates and spacers provides a dynamic adjustment mechanism that maintains overall system stability while preventing slider jamming. When walls deform, the internal components absorb the dimensional changes, ensuring the arch remains properly positioned in the track without exceeding elastic limits
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 effectively compensates for wall deformation, reducing mechanical stresses and preventing jamming by allowing the arches to slide and the flexible cover to maintain tension, ensuring smooth operation and protection from friction.
Implementation Method 1
a spring tensioning device provided with a flange and two springs
Implementation Method 2
the second plate and the spacer being provided with a longitudinal slot configured to cooperate with the screw and bolt fastening assembly, so that the arch slides with respect to the second plate and the spacer
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a removable cover system comprising at least one arch (6) provided at each of its ends with a slider (5), each slider (5) travelling in a traveller track (4), a flexible cover (3) being fixed to at least one arch (5), comprising an at least partially hollow arch (6), comprising at each of its ends: • a plate (7) connected by one end to a slider (5) and connected by its other end to a plate (10), • a spacer (11) in contact with the plate (10) and comprising a rectilinear slot close to one end, a curved end of the plate (10) being inserted into the rectilinear slot in the spacer (11), • the plate (10) and the spacer (11) being disposed inside the hollow part of the arch (6) and being secured by a screw and bolt fastening assembly, and • the plate (10) and the spacer (11) being provided with a longitudinal slot configured to cooperate with the screw and bolt fastening assembly such that the arch (6) slides with respect to the plate (10) and the spacer (11).