Trailer Landing Gear Bushing Assembly for Low-Wear Shaft Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing landing gear assemblies for heavy-duty commercial trucks, such as semi-trailers, face challenges in efficiently transitioning between retracted and extended positions, often requiring complex mechanisms and separate bushing sleeves that can be cumbersome and prone to wear.
Innovation Solution
A landing gear assembly featuring a leg assembly with telescopically adjustable leg members and a gear assembly that includes a shaft member supported by integral bushing members made of powdered metal, which are directly attached to the leg member via mechanical fasteners, allowing for smooth rotational movement without separate bushing sleeves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate bushing sleeves are used in the gear assembly, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the device complexity increases and wear resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the bushing and shaft into a single integrated bushing member that directly supports the shaft member. This eliminates the need for separate bushing sleeves and reduces the number of parts, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining wear resistance through the powdered metal material properties
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs powdered metal material for the bushing member, which provides superior wear resistance compared to traditional materials. This composite material approach allows the bushing to maintain high reliability and durability while being manufactured as a single integral piece, reducing both complexity and wear issues
2Reliability
If integral bushing members made of powdered metal are used, then wear resistance and smooth rotational movement are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The use of powdered metal material enables the creation of integral bushing members with superior wear resistance and smooth rotational properties. The powdered metal manufacturing process allows for complex geometries to be formed in a single operation, reducing assembly steps while achieving the desired performance characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
By integrating the bushing and shaft support functions into a single bushing member, the patent eliminates multiple manufacturing steps and assemblies. The powdered metal process facilitates this integration by allowing the complex integral geometry to be manufactured as one piece, offsetting the manufacturing complexity through process efficiency
3Strength
If multiple separate bushing components are used, then the structural support is adequate, but the mechanical complexity and potential failure points increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate bushing components into a single integral bushing member that directly supports the shaft. This reduces the number of potential failure points from multiple component interfaces to a single monolithic structure, thereby improving reliability while maintaining adequate structural support through the optimized geometry of the integral design
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 solution enhances the efficiency and durability of the landing gear assembly by reducing mechanical complexity and wear, enabling smooth transitions between retracted and extended positions while maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the first bushing member comprises a powdered metal
Data Source
AI summary
A landing gear assembly configured to support a trailer includes a leg assembly including a first leg member and a second leg member telescopingly received within the first leg member and adjustable between a retracted position and an extended position, a gear assembly operably coupled to the leg assembly and configured to move the first leg member between the retracted and extended positions, wherein the gear assembly includes a first shaft member, and a first bushing member rotatably supporting a first end of the first shaft member within the first leg member, wherein the first bushing member is attached to the first leg member via at least one first mechanical fastener, and wherein the first bushing member comprises a powdered metal.