AERODYNAMIC SKIRT RESILIENT MEMBER
First Claim
1. A resilient strut adapted to secure an aerodynamic skirt to a trailer, the aerodynamic skirt being adapted to be substantially longitudinally mounted to the trailer,the aerodynamic skirt comprising a skirt panel including a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being adapted to be mounted toward a forward portion of the trailer and the rear portion being adapted to be mounted toward a rear portion of the trailer in a configuration reducing air drag about the trailer, the skirt panel being adapted to move away from the configuration reducing air drag about the trailer when contacting a foreign object and to recover the configuration reducing air drag about the trailer thereafter,the resilient strut being adapted to sustain an elastic deformation when a load is applied to the resilient strut when the skirt panel moves away from the configuration reducing air drag about the trailer and to self-recover the resilient strut original shape when the load is removed, the resilient strut including a longitudinal shape variation adapted to change a mechanical strength of the resilient strut and influence a stiffness of the resilient strut.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A resilient strut adapted to secure an aerodynamic skirt to a trailer is presented, the aerodynamic skirt being adapted to be substantially longitudinally mounted to the trailer, the resilient strut being adapted to sustain an elastic deformation when a load is applied to the resilient strut when the skirt panel moves away from the configuration improving air routing about the trailer and to self-recover its original shape when the load is removed, the resilient strut including an uneven longitudinal shape adapted to change a stiffness of the resilient strut. An aerodynamic skirt assembly including resilient struts and a kit thereof are also contemplated in the present invention.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A resilient strut adapted to secure an aerodynamic skirt to a trailer, the aerodynamic skirt being adapted to be substantially longitudinally mounted to the trailer,
the aerodynamic skirt comprising a skirt panel including a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being adapted to be mounted toward a forward portion of the trailer and the rear portion being adapted to be mounted toward a rear portion of the trailer in a configuration reducing air drag about the trailer, the skirt panel being adapted to move away from the configuration reducing air drag about the trailer when contacting a foreign object and to recover the configuration reducing air drag about the trailer thereafter, the resilient strut being adapted to sustain an elastic deformation when a load is applied to the resilient strut when the skirt panel moves away from the configuration reducing air drag about the trailer and to self-recover the resilient strut original shape when the load is removed, the resilient strut including a longitudinal shape variation adapted to change a mechanical strength of the resilient strut and influence a stiffness of the resilient strut.
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11. A resilient aerodynamic skirt assembly adapted to be mounted on a trailer, said skirt assembly comprising:
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first and second resilient skirts for reducing aerodynamic drag, one for mounting proximate each longitudinal side of the trailer, wherein each said resilient skirt is elastically deformable, such that each said skirt is configured to sustain temporary deformation from an original position as a result of encountering an object without breaking, and thereafter recover the original position when unloaded, wherein each said skirt includes a rearward portion and a forward portion, the rearward portions of the respective skirts configured to be generally parallel to one another when attached to the trailer; a plurality of non-metallic resilient supports for each said resilient skirt, wherein each said resilient support is attachable to the respective resilient skirt, wherein the resilient supports being adapted to sustain an elastic deformation when a load is applied to the resilient strut when the skirt panel moves away from the original position and to self-recover the original position when the load is removed, the resilient support including a shape defined therein adapted to influence the stiffness of the resilient support. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An aerodynamic skirt assembly adapted to be mounted to an underside of a trailer and reduce air drag by the trailer, the aerodynamic skirt assembly comprising:
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a skirt panel including a front portion and a rear portion, said skirt panel being adapted to be mounted to the underside of the trailer along the length of a trailer; a plurality of resilient struts, at least some of the plurality of resilient struts including a first end adapted to be mounted to the trailer; and a second end adapted to be secured to the skirt panel, the skirt panel being characterized in that it can sustain substantial elastic deformation when impacted by a foreign object and to return substantially to a skirt panel original position before being elastically deformed when the skirt panel is no longer being impacted by the foreign object; the resilient strut being characterized in that it includes a shape variation adapted to effect the flexibility of the resilient strut while the resilient strut can sustain substantial elastic deformation when the skirt panel is under stress by a foreign object and to return substantially to a resilient strut original position before being elastically deformed when the skirt panel is no longer under stress by the foreign object. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification