Vertical Tire Storage Racks in Trailers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire storage methods, such as stacking tires flat in Conex boxes or trailers, lead to bead compression, instability, and safety hazards, making it difficult to access and identify tires, especially in dark or dirty environments, resulting in inefficient and costly manual labor.
Innovation Solution
A semi-trailer-based tire storage system with vertically oriented racks that include horizontally-spaced pairs of beams, allowing for easy identification and access to tires without disturbing others, reducing manual labor and increasing storage capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If tires are stacked horizontally on top of each other, then storage capacity is increased, but bead compression occurs and tires become unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal stacking to vertical storage orientation. Tires are stored upright on their treads rather than lying flat horizontally, utilizing the vertical dimension to eliminate bead compression while maintaining storage capacity. The rack system provides horizontal support surfaces at multiple heights to accommodate vertically oriented tires.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage space is divided into multiple tiers or levels using horizontal beams, creating separate storage zones. This segmentation allows tires to be stored vertically at different heights, preventing the instability associated with tall horizontal stacks while maximizing space utilization.
2Quantity of substance
If tires are stacked horizontally, then more tires can be stored in limited space, but access and identification become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By storing tires vertically rather than horizontally, the patent makes tire identification marks and treads visible from the front. Workers can see and access tire information without climbing stacks or moving other tires, dramatically improving accessibility while maintaining storage density.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack design positions tires so that their identification surfaces face outward toward the access pathway. This localized orientation ensures that critical information is visible and accessible at the point of interaction, eliminating the need to move tires for identification.
3Stability of the object's composition
If manual stacking and restacking is performed to maintain organization, then tire organization is improved, but labor intensity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rack system is pre-configured with horizontal beams at specific heights to automatically maintain tire organization. As tires are placed vertically on these beams, they naturally remain aligned and organized without requiring manual restacking, eliminating repetitive labor while preserving organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical storage configuration allows tires to self-organize on the rack beams. The structure itself maintains alignment and order through its design, reducing the need for active management and manual intervention to preserve organization.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of storage for this tire storage system will be Semi-Trailers in various length and width, some being drop-deck van boxes, some straight van box trailers and various lengths from 24′ to 53′. Also included are ground level containers ranging from 20′ to 53′ long; sometimes referred to as Conex boxes or overseas shipping containers. The inside of the trailer/container will have from one to thirty sections, each having one to six layers of storage space for the vertical storage of tires. Each section beams are adjustable from floor to ceiling. Beams will be between 3′ and 15′ in length.