Trailer Loading Ramp Transverse Pivot Joint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trailers for heavy working machines are heavy, costly to manufacture, and prone to stress damage on uneven ground surfaces due to the design of their loading ramps and transverse pivot joints.
Innovation Solution
The trailer design incorporates a frame with a vehicle platform, wheels, and loading ramps with transverse pivot joints that include slots and axle pins, allowing the ramps to 'float' and adjust to ground unevenness, reducing torsional loads and enabling a more robust and lighter structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the loading ramp is designed as a heavy, rigid structure to support heavy working machines, then the load-bearing capacity is improved, but the weight of the trailer and the power required for towing increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the degree of freedom parameter of the loading ramp from fixed to movable by introducing a transverse pivot joint with slots. This allows the ramp to rotate slightly about its longitudinal axis, enabling it to adapt to ground unevenness without requiring excessive weight for rigidity. The slot geometry and pivot joint design optimize the balance between flexibility and structural integrity.
2Reliability
If the loading ramp is designed to be robust and heavy to withstand stresses on uneven ground, then the reliability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic capability to the loading ramp system through the transverse pivot joint with slots, allowing the ramp to rotate and adapt to ground conditions. This dynamic design replaces the need for overly robust, heavy-duty fixed structures, reducing material requirements and manufacturing costs while maintaining or improving reliability through adaptive stress distribution.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the loading ramp is attached with a fixed transverse pivot joint to ensure stability, then the structural stability is improved, but the trailer cannot adapt to uneven ground surfaces, causing stress damage
Solution Approach 1:
The transverse pivot joint with slots transforms the fixed attachment into a dynamic system that maintains structural stability through controlled rotation. The slots constrain the rotation to specific parameters while allowing adaptation to ground unevenness, achieving both stability and versatility simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the degree of freedom parameter of the loading ramp from fixed to movable by introducing a transverse pivot joint with slots. This allows the ramp to rotate slightly about its longitudinal axis, enabling it to adapt to ground unevenness without requiring excessive weight for rigidity. The slot geometry and pivot joint design optimize the balance between flexibility and structural integrity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a trailer (10), which includes a frame (12) comprising a front end (14) and a rear end ( 16 ), as well as a vehicle platform (18) for supporting a working machine (100) to be transported on the frame (12), wheels (22) for supporting the trailer (10) on a ground surface (104), at least one loading ramp (26) attached in an articulated manner to the rear end (16) of the frame (12) by means of a transverse pivot joint (28), wherein each loading ramp (26) is arranged to rest on the ground surface (104) in a loading position in order to move the working machine (100) onto the vehicle platform (18), wherein each loading ramp (26) includes a ramp frame (32), a first end (34) on the side of the frame (12) of the trailer (10) and a second end (36) opposite the first. The transverse pivot joint (28) is formed in the ramp frame (32) between the first end (34) and the second end (36) at a distance (d) from the first end (34) and includes at least one pivot pin (38) and at least one slot ( 40 ), which allows a limited inclination of each loading ramp (26) about a longitudinal axis between the first end (34) and the second end (36), wherein one of either said pivot pin (38) or said slot (40) is formed in the ramp frame (32) and the other is formed in the rear end (16) of the frame (12) of the trailer (10).