Tiltable Side Skirt Bracket for Trailer Drag Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Truck trailers experience high drag due to wind flow resistance, and there is a risk of passenger vehicles underriding them in accidents, leading to damage and injury, which existing side skirt systems and underride guards do not adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A side skirt system with a tiltable mounting bracket assembly and tether assembly that extends below the trailer's side wall, using springs and channel mounts to reduce drag and prevent underride by allowing lateral movement, and a side underride cable system to enhance safety in collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If side skirts are rigidly mounted to the trailer, then they effectively reduce drag by controlling air flow, but they cannot accommodate lateral movement or impacts from underriding vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The side skirt system employs a dynamic mounting mechanism that allows the skirt to move laterally relative to the trailer frame. The mounting bracket includes a pivot point that enables the skirt to rotate about a vertical axis, and a slider that allows movement along a horizontal axis. This dynamic configuration allows the rigid skirt to maintain its drag-reducing aerodynamic shape during normal operation while being able to move laterally to accommodate impacts from underriding vehicles.
2Loss of energy
If side skirts extend far below the trailer to improve aerodynamics, then drag reduction increases, but the risk of underride collisions and damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The side skirt system incorporates preliminary protective features including a flexible lower section that can bend and deform upon impact, and a mounting mechanism that allows the entire skirt assembly to move laterally away from the trailer when subjected to underride forces. This preliminary anti-action reduces the harmful effects of underride collisions by dissipating impact energy through controlled deformation and movement before the force reaches the trailer structure.
3Loss of energy
If the side skirt system is made rigid to maintain aerodynamic efficiency, then drag reduction is maximized, but the system becomes vulnerable to damage from side impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The side skirt system is divided into multiple segments including an upper rigid portion attached to the trailer, a middle flexible portion with mounting brackets that allow movement, and a lower flexible portion that can bend and deform. This segmentation allows each portion to serve its specific function - the upper portion maintains aerodynamic efficiency, the middle portion provides movement capability, and the lower portion absorbs impact energy through deformation.
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 reduces drag on trailers, improving fuel efficiency and preventing passenger vehicles from underriding, thereby enhancing safety and reducing damage in side impact collisions.
Implementation Method 1
the spring may be an extension spring, a torsion spring, a compression spring, or a leaf spring
Data Source
AI summary
A side skirt system for reducing drag on a trailer includes a side skirt wall configured to be coupled to one side of the trailer to extend below a side wall of the trailer along a length of the trailer. A mounting bracket assembly of the system is coupled to the side skirt wall and is configured to be coupled to a floor assembly of the trailer. The mounting bracket assembly is configured to tilt laterally outwardly and laterally inwardly with respect to a generally vertical axis parallel to the side wall of the trailer.