Unitary Floor Composite Strips for Semi-Trailer Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semi-trailer floors are heavy, prone to damage, and impose stress on forklifts due to cracks and unevenness, which affects fuel efficiency and operational reliability.
Innovation Solution
A unitary floor system comprising a top layer, a bottom layer, and an intermediate layer with composite material strips of different densities, arranged in a configuration that provides a continuous, smooth surface and reduces stress on forklifts, while being lighter and easier to construct than traditional hardwood floors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional hardwood floors are used in semi-trailers, then the floor provides sufficient strength and durability, but the floor becomes heavy and imposes stress on forklifts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining aluminum strips with wood strips in a layered configuration. The aluminum provides strength and durability while being lighter than conventional hardwood, directly resolving the contradiction between floor strength and weight. The composite structure allows the floor to meet load requirements without the excessive weight of traditional hardwood floors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by using different materials (aluminum and wood) in different regions of the floor structure. The aluminum strips are positioned to provide structural support and strength where needed, while wood strips provide durability and surface quality. This localized material assignment optimizes the weight-strength balance by giving each material its specific function.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional hardwood floors are used, then the floor provides durability, but the floor develops cracks and unevenness that affect operational reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The composite aluminum-wood structure prevents the cracking and warping issues inherent in solid hardwood floors. The aluminum strips provide dimensional stability and resistance to moisture-induced deformation, while the wood strips maintain surface integrity. This combination eliminates the operational reliability problems of conventional floors while extending service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters by transitioning from solid hardwood to a composite aluminum-wood structure. This parameter change fundamentally alters the floor's response to environmental conditions, preventing the cracking and unevenness that plague conventional hardwood floors and thereby improving operational reliability.
3Strength
If conventional hardwood floors are used, then the floor provides structural integrity, but the construction process is complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the floor into modular strips of aluminum and wood that can be independently manufactured and then assembled. This segmentation simplifies the construction process compared to working with large hardwood planks, while the interlocking design of the strips ensures structural integrity is maintained through the assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite aluminum-wood construction method simplifies manufacturing by allowing the use of lighter, easier-to-handle materials that can be cut and assembled more readily than conventional hardwood. The structural integrity is achieved through the composite action of the two materials working together, not through complex joinery required for solid wood floors.
4Shape
If conventional hardwood floors are used, then the floor provides a continuous surface, but the floor requires numerous fasteners that compromise the continuous surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses segmented aluminum and wood strips that are designed to interlock or be joined with minimal fasteners. The segmentation allows for a continuous surface appearance while reducing the number of visible fasteners compared to conventional hardwood flooring methods, which require numerous fasteners to secure large planks.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin strip configuration of the aluminum and wood materials allows them to be closely fitted together, creating a continuous surface with minimal gaps and fewer required fasteners. The flexibility of working with thin strips enables a cleaner, more continuous appearance compared to thicker hardwood planks that require more substantial fastening.
Data Source
AI summary
A unitary floor system comprising a top layer, a bottom layer, and, and an intermediate layer including a longitudinal central floor axis. Further, the intermediate layer comprises floor components that define at least one edge line, wherein the floor components are tiled together and sandwiched between the top layer and the bottom layer to provide an integral structure that comprises a continuous surface, unitary floor and a frame that surrounds the floor components. Each of the floor components comprises a composite assembly of a first set of material strips and a second set of material strips. The first set of material strips has a different density compared to the second set of material strips, and edge lines of the floor components span between the longitudinal central floor axis and the frame, wherein the floor components do not cross the longitudinal central floor axis.