SIDE SKIRT SYSTEM FOR A TRAILER

• US 20150259014A1
• Filed: 03/11/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wabash National LP (Wabash National Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wabash National LP (Wabash National Corporation)
• Inventors: Baker, Leonard W., Courtney, Michael J., Sumcad, Gustavo Lazatin, Sweet, James Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,409,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/001 For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/008 Side spoilers B62D35/001 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/02 Streamlining the undersurfaces B62D35/005, B62D35/007, B62D35/008 take precedence

Abstract

A side skirt system for reducing drag on a trailer or other ground vehicle includes plurality of wall panels each configured to be coupled to one side of the trailer to extend generally below a storage container of the trailer at least partially along a length of the trailer. The wall panels are horizontally spaced-apart from each other.

Claims

1. A side skirt system for reducing drag on a trailer or other ground vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of wall panels configured to be coupled to one side of a floor assembly of the trailer to extend generally below a storage container of the trailer at least partially along a length of the trailer,

wherein the wall panels are horizontally spaced-apart from each other,

wherein at least one of the wall panels is configured to be tiltably coupled to the floor assembly of the trailer in order to tilt laterally-inwardly and laterally-outwardly relative to the storage container, and

wherein at least one of the wall panels is configured to be rigidly coupled to the floor assembly of the trailer.

2. The side skirt system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wall panels includes (i) a forward-most wall panel configured to be coupled to the floor assembly of the trailer at a location that is forward of a landing gear leg of the trailer, (ii) a plurality of middle wall panels configured to be coupled to the floor assembly of the trailer at a location that is between the landing gear leg and a rear wheel assembly of the trailer, and (iii) a rearward-most wall panel configured to be coupled to the floor assembly of the trailer at a location that is rearward of the rear wheel assembly of the trailer.

3. The side skirt system of claim 2, wherein a horizontal gap between the forward-most wall panel and the plurality of middle wall panels is approximately 12 inches.

4. The side skirt system of claim 2, wherein the forward-most wall panel is configured to be rigidly coupled to the floor assembly, the rearward-most wall panel is configured to be rigidly coupled to the floor assembly, and the plurality of middle wall panels are each configured to be tiltably coupled to the floor assembly.

5. The side skirt system of claim 4, further comprising (i) a spring-biased mounting bracket assembly coupled to each of the plurality of middle wall panels, and (ii) a rigid mounting bracket assembly coupled to each of the forward-most and the rearward-most wall panels.

6. The side skirt system of claim 5, wherein each of the rigid and spring-biased mounting bracket assemblies includes (i) a channel mount coupled to one of the wall panels of the side skirt system, (ii) a bolt coupled to the channel mount, (iii) a bracket configured to hook onto a side edge of a bottom flange of a cross-member of the floor assembly, and (iv) a toe clamp configured to engage an opposite side edge of the bottom flange of the cross-member of the floor assembly, wherein the bracket includes a horizontal lot formed through a planar portion thereof, wherein the toe clamp includes an aperture formed therein, wherein the bolt is received through the slot of the bracket and the aperture of the toe clamp, and wherein the bolt, with the channel mount and toe clamp coupled thereto, is movable within the slot of the bracket.

7. The side skirt system of claim 6, wherein each of the spring-biased mounting bracket assemblies further includes a spring having a first end coupled to the bolt and a second end coupled to the channel mount, and wherein the channel mount is tiltable relative to the bolt, the bracket, and the toe clamp.

8. The side skirt system of claim 2, wherein a length of the forward-most wall panel is less than a length of any of the plurality of middle wall panels, and wherein a length of at least two of the plurality of middle wall panels is different from one another.

9. The side skirt system of claim 2, wherein a forward edge and a rearward edge of each of the forward-most wall panel and the plurality of middle wall panels is generally V-shaped to define a generally V-shaped gap between each adjacent one of the forward-most and plurality of middle wall panels.

10. The side skirt system of claim 2, wherein a top edge and a bottom edge of each of the forward-most wall panel and the plurality of middle wall panels is parallel to each other, and wherein a bottom edge of the rearward-most wall panel is angled relative to a top edge of the rearward-most wall panel.

11. The side skirt system of claim 2, wherein the wall panels are each angled from a front edge to a rear edge thereof relative to a plane defined by a sidewall of the trailer.

12. The side skirt system of claim 11, wherein the forward-most wall panel and the plurality of middle wall panels are each angled outwardly from a front edge to a rear edge thereof, and wherein the rearward-most wall panel is angled inwardly from a front edge to a rear edge thereof.

13. The side skirt system of claim 11, wherein an angle between the forward-most wall panel and a plane defined by the sidewall of the trailer is greater than an angle between any one of the plurality of middle wall panels and the plane defined by the sidewall of the trailer.

14. The side skirt system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of wall panels is generally concave.

15. A side skirt system for reducing drag on a trailer or other ground vehicle, comprising:

a first portion including a forward-most wall panel configured to be coupled to one side of a floor assembly of the trailer to extend generally below a storage container of the trailer and at least partially along a length of the trailer, the forward-most wall panel configured to be positioned forward of a landing gear leg of the trailer;

a second portion including a plurality of wall panels configured to be coupled to one side of the floor assembly of the trailer to extend generally below the storage container of the trailer at least partially along the length of the trailer, each of the plurality of wall panels of the second portion configured to be positioned between the landing gear leg of the trailer and a rear wheel assembly of the trailer; and

a third portion including a rearward-most wall panel configured to be coupled to one side of the floor assembly of the trailer to extend generally below the storage container of the trailer and at least partially along the length of the trailer, the rearward-most wall panel configured to be positioned rearward of the rear wheel assembly of the trailer,

wherein the first, second, and third portions of the skirt system are horizontally-spaced-apart from each other,

wherein the wall panels of the first and second portions are angled outwardly away from a longitudinal centerline of the trailer from a front edge to a rear edge thereof with respect to a sidewall of the trailer, and

wherein the rearward-most wall panel of the third portion is angled inwardly toward the longitudinal centerline of the trailer from a front edge to a rear edge thereof with respect to the sidewall of the trailer.

16. The side skirt system of claim 15, wherein an angle between the rearward-most wall panel and a plane defined by the sidewall of the trailer is approximately less than 1 degree.

17. The side skirt system of claim 15, wherein the forward-most wall panel, the plurality of wall panels of the second portion, and the rearward-most wall panel are each horizontally spaced-apart from each other.

18. The side skirt system of claim 15, wherein (i) the wall panels of the first and second portions of the side skirt system each include a horizontally-extending top edge and a horizontally-extending bottom edge parallel to the top edge, and (ii) the rearward-most wall panel of the third portion includes a horizontally-extending top edge and an angled bottom edge, and wherein the angled bottom edge is angled upwardly from a front edge of the rearward-most wall panel to a rear edge of the rearward-most wall panel.

19. The side skirt system of claim 18, wherein the bottom edge of the rearward-most wall panel is configured to be generally parallel to an imaginary line extending between a bottom edge of a rear bumper of the trailer and a point where the rearward-most tire of the rear tire assembly of the trailer engages the ground.

20. The side skirt system of claim 15, wherein the forward-most wall panel defines a first length, any one of the plurality of wall panels of the second portion of the side skirt assembly defines a second length, and the rearward-most wall panel defines a third length, and wherein the first, second, and third lengths are different from one another.

21. A side skirt system for reducing drag on a trailer or other ground vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of wall panels configured to be coupled to one side of a floor assembly of the trailer to extend generally below a storage container of the trailer at least partially along a length of the trailer, wherein the wall panels are horizontally spaced-apart from each other and are configured to be positioned between a landing gear leg of the trailer and a rear wheel assembly of the trailer; and

a mounting bracket assembly coupled to each wall panel and configured be coupled to a bottom flange of a cross-member of the floor assembly of the trailer,

wherein the mounting bracket assembly is movable between an unlocked position and a locked position while remaining coupled to the bottom flange,

wherein a portion of the mounting bracket assembly is horizontally movable relative to the flange when the mounting bracket assembly is in the unlocked position,

wherein the mounting bracket assembly is not horizontally slidable relative to the flange when the mounting bracket assembly is in the locked position, and

wherein the components of the mounting bracket assembly are coupled to each other when the mounting bracket assembly is in both the locked and unlocked positions.

22. The side skirt assembly of claim 21, wherein the mounting bracket assembly includes (i) a channel mount coupled to one of the plurality of wall panels of the side skirt system, (ii) a bolt coupled to the channel mount, (iii) a bracket configured to hook onto a side edge of the bottom flange of a cross-member of the floor assembly, and (iv) a toe clamp configured to engage an opposite side edge of the bottom flange of the cross-member of the floor assembly, wherein the bracket includes a horizontal slot formed through a planar portion thereof, wherein the toe clamp includes an aperture formed therein, wherein the bolt is received through the slot of the bracket and the aperture of the toe clamp, and wherein the bolt, with the channel mount and toe clamp coupled thereto, is movable within the slot of the bracket when the mounting bracket assembly is in the unlocked position.

23. The side skirt system of claim 22, wherein the mounting bracket assembly further includes a spring having a first end coupled to the bolt and a second end coupled to the channel mount, and wherein the channel mount is tiltable relative to the bolt, the bracket, and the toe clamp.