Commercial Vehicle Panel Composite Laminate Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial vehicle box bodies are heavier and more expensive to produce than tarpaulin bodies, limiting their load capacity and economic viability for freight transport.
Innovation Solution
A panel structural element is designed using a composite laminate with metal and plastic layers, where stand elements cover and bridge connection areas to enhance stiffness and durability, allowing for a single-shell construction that reduces weight and production costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If box bodies are used to enclose the cargo space, then protection against moisture and temperature is improved, but weight increases and payload capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The panel structural element uses a composite structure consisting of a metal framework (aluminum or steel profiles) combined with insulating panels (foam plastic core with metal skin). This composite design provides both the protective enclosure needed for moisture and temperature resistance and the weight reduction necessary to improve payload capacity, directly resolving the technical contradiction between reliability and weight.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple panel elements are connected to form the panel, then manufacturing ease is improved, but the connection regions become weak points reducing structural strength
Solution Approach 1:
The upright elements serve as intermediary components that bridge the connection regions between multiple panel elements. By positioning upright elements at least partially over the connecting regions, the structure transfers and distributes loads through these intermediaries, preventing the connection areas from becoming weak points and maintaining overall panel strength while still allowing modular assembly.
3Weight of moving object
If upright elements are spaced apart to support the spar structure, then weight is reduced, but the panel structural element stiffness is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of upright elements and panel elements by having the upright elements extend at least partially over the connecting regions between panel elements. This integration creates a unified structural system where the spaced upright elements work together with the panel elements to maintain overall stiffness and stability, allowing weight reduction through spacing while preventing stiffness loss through functional merging.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Described and illustrated is a panel structure element (10, 11, 12, 13) of a superstructure (2) of a commercial vehicle (1), in particular a truck, trailer or semi-trailer, comprising a plurality of support elements (19, 20, 51, 53) provided for stiffening the panel structure element (10, 11, 12, 13), oriented at least substantially transversely to the longitudinal direction of the panel structure element (10, 11, 12, 13) and arranged in the longitudinal direction of the panel structure element (10, 11, 12, 13) between the edges of the panel structure element (10, 11, 12, 13) and spaced apart from one another, and comprising a panel (14) extending over at least substantially the entire length and at least substantially the entire height of the panel structure element (10, 11, 12, 13), in particular a closed panel, wherein the panel (14) is made of at least one panel element (17) is formed and wherein the support elements (19,20,51,53) are connected to the panel (14).In order to reduce the economic disadvantages without having to accept any significant functional losses, it is provided that the at least one panel element (17) is formed from a composite laminate (26) comprising at least two metal layers (29) and at least one plastic layer (27) provided between the at least two metal layers (29).