AERODYNAMIC TRAILER SKIRTS

• US 20090189414A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transtex LLC (Southwestern Energy Company)
• Original Assignee: Transtex Composite Incorporated
• Inventors: Desjardins, Philippe, Desjardins, Mathieu, Boivin, Mathieu
• Granted Patent: US 7,887,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/180.400
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/00 Elements for body-finishing, identifying, or decorating; Arrangements or adaptations for advertising purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0861 for covering undersurfaces of vehicles, e.g. wheel houses
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/565 on vehicle sides
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/001 For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 180/903 Airstream reactive vehicle or vehicle structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A resilient skirt assembly is provided, the assembly comprising a skirt panel adapted to connect to a trailer to direct at least a portion of the amount of air on the side of the trailer; and a skirt support adapted to connect the skirt to a trailer, the skirt support having a resilient strut providing lateral support to the skirt panel, the resilient strut allowing substantial lateral pivotal movement of the skirt panel between a skirt panel unloaded position and a skirt panel loaded position. A method of assembling a skirt assembly and a skirt kit are also provided.

Claims

1. An aerodynamic skirt adapted to be mounted to a trailer, the aerodynamic skirt comprising:

a skirt panel defining a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being adapted to be proximally mounted toward a center of the trailer, the rear portion being adapted to be substantially longitudinally mounted to the trailer.

2. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 1, wherein, when the aerodynamic skirt is installed on the trailer, a rearwardmost end of the skirt panel is disposed adjacent to a wheel of the road trailer.

3. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 2, wherein the rearwardmost end of the skirt defines a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the wheel of the road trailer.

4. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 1, wherein the skirt panel is a plurality of skirt panel modules adapted to cooperate therebetween.

5. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 4, wherein, when the aerodynamic skirt is installed on the trailer, at least one skirt panel module is adapted to be moveable between an aerodynamic position and a retracted position to allow access under the trailer.

6. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 5, comprising a securing mechanism adapted to secure the at least one skirt panel module in the retracted position.

7. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 1, wherein the skirt panel progressively proximally bends from the substantially longitudinally mounted rear portion toward the proximally mounted front portion.

8. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 7, wherein, when the aerodynamic skirt is installed on the trailer, the skirt panel begins to progressively proximally bends toward the front portion from the substantially longitudinally mounted rear portion at a distance between about between 1.5 meter and 3 meters from the forwardmost end of the skirt panel.

9. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 7, wherein the front portion of the skirt panel proximally retracts of a distance about between 0.20 meter and 0.40 meter from a side of the road trailer.

10. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 1, wherein a top and bottom edges of the front portion of the skirt panel are non-parallel.

11. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 1, wherein the skirt panel is made of composite material.

12. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 1, wherein the skirt panel is adapted to be secured to the road trailer with a plurality of resilient struts adapted to bend when a load extending an aerodynamic load generated by the air routed around the road trailer is applied to the skirt panel.

13. The aerodynamic skirt of claim 1, wherein, when not installed on the trailer, the skirt panel is made of a substantially planar material, the skirt panel being adapted to be bent when installed on the road trailer to achieve a desired shape.

14. A method of installing a skirt assembly on a trailer, the method comprising:

securing upper supports to the trailer;

securing a skirt panel to the upper supports; and

securing struts between the trailer and the skirt panel.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein securing the upper supports to the trailer is defining a non-linear upper supports layout, the method comprising:

bending the skirt panel to secure the skirt panel to the upper supports and to define a shape to the skirt panel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the skirt panel defines a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being adapted to be proximally mounted to the trailer, the rear portion being adapted to be substantially longitudinally mounted to the trailer.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the skirt panel is a plurality of skirt panel modules, the method comprising:

securing at least one skirt panel module to the trailer with an intervening mechanism adapted to position the at least one skirt panel in an aerodynamic position and a retracted position allowing access under the road trailer.

18. A skirt assembly kit comprising:

a skirt panel adapted to be disposed on a trailer to route air about the road trailer;

a plurality of upper supports adapted to secure the skirt panel to the road trailer; and

a plurality of struts adapted to secure the skirt panel to the road trailer.

19. The kit of claim 18, wherein the skirt panel is a plurality of skirt panel modules.

20. The kit of claim 19, comprising a mechanism adapted to position at least one skirt panel module in an aerodynamic position and in a retracted position allowing access under the road trailer