Trailer Skirt Panel Aerodynamic Drag Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy-duty vehicles, such as tractor-trailer rigs, experience high fuel consumption due to aerodynamic drag caused by turbulence under and behind the trailer, leading to reduced fuel efficiency and increased operating costs, as well as safety hazards from splashed water in wet conditions.
Innovation Solution
A skirt panel made of a monolithic composite thermoplastic/metal structure, extending downwardly from the trailer's lower edge, is designed to deflect airflow laterally and reduce drag by directing impinging air around the rear wheels, thereby improving aerodynamic flow and reducing splash and spray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If skirts are installed to close the body sides down toward the ground, then aerodynamic drag is reduced, but the structure becomes more complex and may interfere with road objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible skirt panels made of thin film materials that can bend and conform to the terrain. These flexible panels extend downward from the trailer body to reduce aerodynamic drag while maintaining the ability to adapt to road conditions without rigid structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The skirt system is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing the panels to move and adjust their position based on operational conditions. The flexible nature enables the skirts to respond to terrain variations and maintain optimal aerodynamic positioning without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms
2Loss of energy
If skirts extend closer to the ground to improve aerodynamics, then drag reduction increases, but the risk of contact with road objects and damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes flexible thin film panels that can bend and flex without breaking when contacting road objects. This flexibility allows the skirts to extend closer to the ground for better aerodynamic performance while protecting against damage from curbs, debris, and uneven terrain through their ability to deform rather than fracture
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible nature of the skirt panels provides inherent cushioning against impacts with road objects. The material properties are selected to absorb and dissipate impact energy, protecting the underlying structure from damage before the force can propagate through the system
3Strength
If rigid structures are used for skirt panels, then structural strength is improved, but flexibility over road objects is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible thin film panels that can bend and flex without breaking when contacting road objects. This flexibility allows the skirts to extend closer to the ground for better aerodynamic performance while protecting against damage from curbs, debris, and uneven terrain through their ability to deform rather than fracture
Solution Approach 2:
The skirt panels are constructed from composite materials that combine the desired flexibility with adequate strength. The composite structure provides the necessary mechanical properties to withstand operational loads while maintaining the flexibility needed to navigate over road objects without damage
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 significantly reduces aerodynamic drag, enhances fuel efficiency, improves driving safety by minimizing water splash, and increases trailer stability and tire wear reduction.
Implementation Method 1
by deflecting and otherwise altering the airflow e.g., by creating laminar flow along the side and underneath the trailer
Implementation Method 2
This turbulence results in increased resistance to forward movement of the tractor-trailer rigs, and thus to lower fuel efficiency
Implementation Method 3
a great deal of turbulence is created along the side and underneath the trailer as the vehicle disturbs the air
Data Source
AI summary
A skirt panel is provided herein for interconnection to another abutted similar skirt panel for attachment beneath a lower, outer longitudinally-extending edge of a trailer including a rear wheel assembly of a tractor-trailer rig, thereby to provide a continuous fairing extending downwardly from the trailer. The skirt panel includes a monolithic, generally-rectangular composite reinforced thermoplastic structure, having vertical lateral side edges configured and arranged for connection to associated vertical lateral side edges of abutting similar skirt panels. This provides a longitudinally-extending fairing for extending contiguously on each side of the trailer, a front face of the thermoplastic structure being provided with a plurality of longitudinally-extending, vertically-spaced-apart arcuate protrusions. The outer face of the thermoplastic panel preferably also is provided with dimples. The reinforcing comprising a panel secured to an inner face of the skirt panel and is provided with laterally-extending means whereby abutting skirt panels are secured to one another; whereby, when said fairing is secured to a lower portion of said trailer, the fairing extends downwardly from the trailer to from 60% to 80% of the distance to the road, so that a portion of any impinging air is directed laterally around the wheels of the rear wheel bogeys to reduce the aerodynamic drag of the trailer and of the wheel assembly.