Abstract:
A trailer or intermodal trailer chassis having a vehicle side fairing that accommodates, without being damaged, a container or other object lowered onto the trailer or intermodal chassis in a misaligned orientation.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/651,345, filed May 24, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a system for improving the aerodynamic profile of vehicles by utilizing side vehicle fairing structures, especially for use on an intermodal chassis used to transport intermodal shipping containers by road (“Chassis” or “Chasses”). Additionally, the system can be employed on any trailer used in a tractor-trailer combined vehicle (“Truck”). The system improves fuel consumption without having a material adverse impact on operation or service procedures pertinent to the Truck. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The amount of power needed to move a vehicle over land or through the air increases with the speed of the vehicle due to aerodynamic drag. The amount of power necessary to overcome aerodynamic drag directly translates into increased fuel consumption, and thus increased emission of greenhouse gases and pollutants, and increased cost of operation. 
     A variety of innovations aimed at reducing the aerodynamic drag of various transport vehicles, including tractor-trailer combinations, have been introduced in the prior art. These include efforts to make the hood, windscreen, fenders, etc. more streamlined in form, as well as by adding fairings to the cab roof, and in some cases, to the trailer when the trailer is a “box” van or refrigerated heavy duty truck trailers. Hereinafter standard van and refrigerated “box” heavy duty truck trailers shall be referred to as “Van Trailer(s)”. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,791 discloses a vehicle fairing structure that can be deployed on the rear of a Van Trailer box to reduce drag at the rear end of the Van Trailer box. Since a significant amount of drag is also associated with the front of the Van Trailer box, where there is known to be an area of high pressure and relatively stagnant air approximately at the middle of the forward vertical face of the trailer cab, a front fairing structure for reducing this drag is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,284. 
     It is also the case that significant drag results from air entering under the Van Trailer, between the box and the road surface. A system that includes side fairings to reduce drag such is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,592. The foregoing patent and applications (The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,799,791, 7,604,284 and 7,404,592 are incorporated herein by reference. 
     While the foregoing side fairing systems are suitable for Van Trailer boxes, a significant amount of freight is moved using intermodal systems. In such systems, the trailer box is a separate component from the trailer chassis, so that multiple boxes (referred to as containers) can be stacked on container ships or flatbed railcars and single containers can be mounted on trailers for transit by Truck. When the containers are moved between their originating/final destinations by road or Truck, Chasses specially designed to accommodate the container are utilized. A crane or a forklift is typically used to lift a container on to and off of the Chassis. 
     Utilizing a side fairing in an intermodal application to reduce aerodynamic drag is challenging, because the design needs to take into account the foregoing modes of operation. To permit easier movement and stacking of containers, it may be desirable to secure the side fairing to the Chassis rather than the container. However, any side fairing design must take into consideration that the container may be lowered onto the Chassis in a tilted or otherwise imperfect orientation, thereby striking the fairing. 
     Intermodal containers are typically made of steel and are of robust, heavy construction so that they can withstand the rigors of being moved multiple times while securely protecting and supporting the freight that they carry. As a consequence, there is risk of damage to any side fairing mounted on the Chassis should the container be lowered onto the Chassis in any imperfect orientation. Perfect lifting/lower and perfect alignment of the container to the Chassis cannot always be achieved. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention functions to permit the attachment of fairings or other structures to Chasses, or any trailer wherein the support for the fairing or other structure is exposed to the load to be carried by such trailer, and may be damaged during imperfect loading. 
     In one embodiment, the intermodal trailer chassis, which comprises a beam and bogie wheels mounted thereon, and which defines a spatial gap forward of the wheels between the bottom of the container and the road surface, has a side fairing panel secured to the Chassis proximate to such gap. The side fairing panel is secured to the Chassis by a bracket comprising a strut having an inner portion and an outer portion, where the inner portion of the strut is rigidly secured to the beam, and the outer portion is rigidly secured to the side fairing panel. The top edge of the side fairing is proximate to the plane defined by the bottom of an intermodal container when such a container is mounted on the Chassis. The inner portion of the strut is rotatably fastened to the outer portion of the strut, so that, in the event that a container is lowered onto the Chassis in a misaligned orientation, the side fairing panel will be displaced away correspondingly, thereby avoiding damage. 
     In a second embodiment, the intermodal trailer chassis, which comprises a beam and bogie wheels mounted thereon, and which defines a spatial gap forward of the wheels between the bottom of the container and the road surface, has a side fairing panel secured to the Chassis proximate to such gap, wherein the side fairing panel comprises an upper sub-panel have an edge and a lower sub-panel. The edge of the upper sub-panel is proximate to the bottom of the container, and the lower sub-panel of the side fairing panel is secured to the Chassis by a strut having an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion of the strut is rigidly secured to the beam, the outer portion is rigidly secured to the side fairing panel, and the upper sub-panel is rotatably or flexibly mounted to the lower sub-panel so that, in the event that a container is lowered onto the Chassis in a misaligned orientation, the upper sub-panel of the side fairing panel will rotate away correspondingly, thereby avoiding damage. 
     In a further embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a chassis or trailer having one or more generally longitudinal structural beams and bogie wheels attached thereto, either directly or indirectly via a bogie wheel mounting assembly. The longitudinal beam(s) are generally oriented in the direction of travel, and the chassis or trailer when placed on a road surface defining a spatial gap forward of the wheel set between the road surface and the bottom of the trailer or load to be carried by the chassis. The chassis or trailer is provided with a side fairing system comprising a side fairing panel secured to the trailer or chassis proximate to such gap, the side fairing panel having an edge proximate to the bottom of the trailer or the top plane of the chassis where the bottom of an intermodal container would be. The side fairing panel is secured to the trailer or chassis by one or more strut(s) having an inner portion and an outer portion, where the inner portion of each strut is rigidly secured to the trailer or chassis, and the outer portion rigidly secured to the side fairing panel, and the strut is elastic, thereby permitting the side fairing panel to deflect in the vertical direction in response to a correspondingly oriented force component, and then return to its undeflected orientation upon removal of the force component. 
     In another embodiment, the intermodal trailer chassis, which comprises a beam and bogie wheels mounted thereon, and which defines a spatial gap forward of the wheels between the bottom of the container and the road surface, has a side fairing panel secured to the Chassis proximate to such gap, wherein the side fairing panel comprises an upper sub-panel having an edge and a lower sub-panel. The edge of the upper sub-panel is proximate to the bottom of the container, and the lower sub-panel of the side fairing panel is secured to the trailer chassis by a strut having an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion of the strut is rigidly secured to the beam, the outer portion is rigidly secured to the side fairing panel, and the upper sub-panel is made of an elastic material which returns to its original position after impact so that, in the event that a container is lowered onto the Chassis in a tilted orientation, the upper sub-panel of the side fairing panel will bend away correspondingly, thereby avoiding damage. 
     In a further embodiment, the intermodal trailer chassis, which comprises a beam and bogie wheels mounted thereon, and which defines a spatial gap forward of the wheels between the bottom of the container and the road surface, has a side fairing panel secured to the Chassis proximate to such gap, wherein the side fairing panel comprises an upper sub-panel having an edge and a lower sub-panel. The edge of the upper sub-panel is proximate to the bottom of the container, and the lower sub-panel of the side fairing panel is secured to the Chassis by a strut having an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion of the strut is rigidly secured to the beam, the outer portion is rigidly secured to the side fairing panel, and the upper sub-panel is made of a bristle or other flexible multi-part material which returns to its original orientation after impact, so that, in the event that a container is lowered onto the Chassis in a tilted orientation, the upper sub-panel of the side fairing panel will bend away correspondingly, thereby avoiding damage. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of an intermodal Chassis with the vehicle side fairing panel comprising the present invention depicted thereon. 
         FIG. 2  is a planar view of the side fairing panel of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 3A ,  3 B and  3 C depict side views of three different types of pivotable struts used to support the side fairing panel in certain embodiments. 
         FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  4 C depict schematic side views of three different types of elastic struts used to support the side fairing panel in certain embodiments. 
         FIGS. 5A ,  5 B and  5 C depict side views of three different types of upper sub-panels of the side fairing panel in certain embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  depicts a Chassis  1 , which generally comprises two I-beams  2  approximately twelve inches deep, spaced apart by plural cross members  3 . A dual-axle bogie  4  is positioned toward the rear of Chassis  1  and a square-legged extendible landing gear  5  is positioned toward the front of Chassis  1 , aft of the kingpin to which a heavy duty truck tractor (“Tractor”) can be pivotally secured. Two cross beams  6  are also provided on which a container may rest during transport.  FIG. 1  also depicts Landing Gear  5  of Chassis  1 , which permits a Chassis to sit level and to allow elevation of the Chassis so that a Tractor (not shown) can be attached to and detached from a Chassis. 
       FIG. 1  depicts Chassis  1  with two side fairings  100  as described herein, one for each side of Chassis  1 . The purpose of side fairings  100  is to inhibit air from entering the underside of Chassis  1 , and generally to smooth the flow of air thereby reducing aerodynamic drag. Side fairings  100  can comprise two or more horizontal panels joined together directly or indirectly such that the multiple panels function as a single aerodynamic panel. 
     Side fairings  100  are generally rectangular planar structures extending in the vertical direction downward to a relatively small distance above the road surface. In one embodiment, approximately 8 inches of clearance is left between the bottoms of panels  100  and the road. 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , side fairing  100  comprises three horizontal sub-panels, namely lower sub-panel  100 A, middle sub-panel  100 B and upper sub-panel  100 C. Each fairing  100  is secured to an I-beam  2  of Chassis  1  by a number of supporting struts  110 . The end of each strut  110  proximate to chassis  1  is rigidly fastened to the I-beam  2 , as by welding, or one or two 90 degree metal angle fasteners, bolted or riveted to the I-beam  2  and the strut  110 , or by other suitable means. The end of each strut  110  proximate to side fairing  100  is secured to middle sub-panel  100 B or to upper sub-panel  100 C, depending upon the embodiment, using comparable means. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the struts  110  are cantilevered, such that the load (both weight and torsional) imposed upon them by the mass of side fairing  100  are transferred to the I-beam  2  entirely through the fastening utilized to secure each strut  110  to the I-beam  2 . The side fairing  100  is thereby free-standing, and it is not secured to the underbody of a Truck, which allows a container to be placed on a Chassis freely and quickly, without interference with side fairing  100 . 
     In certain embodiments of the present invention, described below with reference to  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B and  3 C, the portions of struts  110  proximate to side fairing  100  are capable of being displaced in the vertical direction in order to allow the fairing  100  to move correspondingly in the event that a container is inadvertently loaded onto Chassis  1  in a misaligned orientation. 
     Sub-panel  100 A can be rigidly attached to sub-panel  100 B, or the two sub-panels can be made from one piece of planar material, as preferred. Alternatively, sub-panel  100 A can be attached to sub-panel  100 B utilizing rotatable or bendable fastening in the manner described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/301,941, filed Feb. 5, 2010 and International Patent Application No. PCT/US11/23728, filed Feb. 4, 2011, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in regard to that embodiment. 
       FIG. 3A  illustrates one embodiment of strut  110  which permits fairing  100  to be deflected in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, strut  110  comprises a mounting trunion  102  and a pivoting arm  104 . Pivoting arm  104  is secured to trunion  102  with a pivot pin  103 . A biasing means is provided, such as tension spring  105 . Tension spring  105 , which is secured between mounting trunion  102  and pivoting arm  104 , urges arm  104  in the upward direction. Upward displacement is limited by stop pin  106 , or other suitable means. Mounting trunion  102  is rigidly fastened to the I-beam  2  in the manner described above, and rigidly fastened in similar manner to upper sub-panel  100 C (shown in  FIG. 3A ) or alternatively, middle sub-panel  100 B. The geometry of pivoting arm  104 , the placement of stop pin  106  and the position where pivoting arm  104  is secured to side fairing  100  are selected so that the top sub-panel of side fairing  100  is approximately adjacent the container bottom. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates an alternate embodiment of strut  110  which permits fairing  100  to be deflected in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, strut  110  comprises a mounting trunion  102  and a pivoting arm  104 . Pivoting arm  104  is secured to trunion  102  with a pivot pin  103 .  FIG. 3B  depicts a biasing means, specifically tension arm  107 , which is fabricated from spring steel or the like. Tension arm  107  is rigidly secured to the lower flange of the I-beam by welding, bolting or the like, and urges arm  104  in the upward direction. Upward displacement can be limited by suitable design, such as by use of a stop pin or flange (not shown). 
     In  FIG. 3B , mounting trunion  102  is rigidly fastened to the I-beam  2  in the manner described above, and pivoting arm  104  is rigidly fastened in similar manner to upper sub-panel  100 C (shown in  FIG. 3B ) or alternatively, middle sub-panel  100 B. The geometry of pivoting arm  104 , the placement of any element utilized to limit upward displacement, and the position where pivoting arm  104  is secured to side fairing  100  are selected so that the top sub-panel of side fairing  100  is approximately adjacent the container bottom. Optionally, an element to limit upward displacement can be dispensed with, as in the case where the desired vertical portion of side fairing  100  is achieved when tension arm  107  is in an unstressed state. Tension arm  107  can slide along a suitable bearing surface of pivoting arm  104 , as in the case where pivoting arm  104  is a channel section open at the bottom. Alternatively, tension arm  107  can be fastened pivoting arm  104  to enhance its stiffness, as desired. 
       FIG. 3C  illustrates a further alternate embodiment of strut  110  which permits side fairing  100  to be deflected in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, strut  110  comprises a mounting trunion  102  and a pivoting arm  104 . Pivoting arm  104  is secured to trunion  102  with a pivot pin  103 .  FIG. 3C  depicts a biasing means, specifically tension element  108 , which is fabricated from spring steel or the like. Tension element  108 , which is positioned above pivot pin  103  to span the underside of suitable bearing surfaces of mounting trunion  102  and pivot arm  104  (such as where each is a channel, appropriately oriented, or a box, in cross section), urges pivoting arm  104  in the upward direction. Upward displacement can be limited by suitable design, such as by use of a stop pin or flange (not shown). 
     In  FIG. 3C , mounting trunion  102  is rigidly fastened to the I-beam  2  in the manner described above, and pivoting arm  104  is rigidly fastened in similar manner to upper sub-panel  100 C (shown in  FIG. 3C ) or alternatively, middle sub-panel  100 B. The geometry of pivoting arm  104 , the placement of any element utilized to limit upward displacement, and the position where pivoting arm  104  is secured to fairing  100  are selected so that the top sub-panel of side fairing  100  is approximately adjacent the container bottom. Optionally, an element to limit upward displacement can be dispensed with, as in the case where the desired vertical portion of side fairing  100  is achieved when tension element  108  is in an unstressed state. 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 3A through 3C , provision of pivoting arms permits side fairing  100  to be deflected in the vertical direction.  FIGS. 4A through 4C  illustrate three alternative embodiments of struts  110 . In these embodiments, struts  110  are elastic, thereby permitting side fairing  100  to deflect in the vertical direction, if for example side fairing  100  comes in contact with an intermodal chassis being loaded onto the chassis in a misaligned configuration. These elastic struts  110  urge side fairing  100  in an upward direction, so that fairing  100  returns to its pre-contact position after the container is correctly aligned and positioned on the chassis. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 4A , strut  110  comprises one or more strips of spring steel which have been bent, cut and/or assembled to form two approximately straight sections  111  and  112 , with the sections oriented at an appropriate angle, for example 90 degrees as shown. The section  111  of strut  110  is vertically oriented and rigidly fastened to the I-beam  2  using bolts, rivets or the like, and section  112  is horizontally oriented and fastened to fairing  100 . The rigidity and vertical displacement of the horizontal section  112  of the strut can be controlled by suitable selection the thickness and stiffness of the spring steel, and by appropriate tempering and quenching treatments. In addition to spring steel, the strut  110  can also be fabricated from composites, plastics and other materials whose elastic characteristics can be managed through design and material selection. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 4B , strut  110  comprises one or more strips of spring steel which have been bent, cut and/or fastened to form three approximately straight sections  113 ,  114  and  115  in the shape illustrated. Section  113  of strut  110  is vertically oriented and rigidly fastened to the I-beam  2  using bolts, rivets or the like, section  115  is horizontally oriented and fastened to fairing  100 , and medial section  114  is diagonally oriented and joins sections  113  and  115 . The rigidity and vertical displacement of the horizontal section  115  of the strut  110  can be controlled by appropriate selection of the thickness and stiffness of the spring steel, the angles of the bends, and by appropriate tempering and quenching treatments. In addition to spring steel, the strut can also be fabricated from composites, plastics and other materials whose elastic characteristics can be managed through design and material selection. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 4C , strut  110  comprises one or more strips of spring steel which have been bent, cut and/or fastened to form an arcuate shape, as illustrated. Strut  110  terminates in a vertical portion  116 , which is rigidly fastened to an I-beam  2  using bolts, rivets or the like, and terminates in a horizontal portion  117 , which is fastened to fairing  100 . The rigidity and vertical displacement of the horizontal section of the strut can be controlled via the thickness and stiffness of the spring steel, and the angles of the bends. In addition to spring steel, the strut  110  depicted in  FIG. 4C  can also be fabricated from composites, plastics and other materials whose elastic characteristics can be managed through design and material selection. 
       FIG. 5A  illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, in which middle sub-panel  100 B is rotatably attached to upper sub-panel  100 C of panel  100  by means of, for example, a stainless steel piano hinge  41 . As an alternative to rotatable attachment, the middle sub-panel  100 B is flexibly attached to upper sub-panel  100 C of panel  100  by means of, for example, a resilient strip or strips of flexible plastic, rubber or the like spanning the junction between the sub-panels and secured to the sub-panels proximate the junction by suitable means, such as adhesive, fasteners with load distribution plates, and the like. One or more biasing means, such as torsion springs  42 , can be utilized to urge sub-panel  100 C toward its proper vertical orientation, optionally using one or more stop flanges or the like (not shown) according to the needs of the particular design, to limit the rotation of sub-panel  100 C. An angled strip, made of plastic, metal, or other appropriate material is secured to the top portion of sub-panel  100 C to insure that the lowering of a container in the vertical direction will cause sub-panel  100 C to rotate about pin  44  of piano hinge  41 . 
       FIG. 5B  illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention, in which upper sub-panel  100 C of panel  100  is made of a flexible material that is rigidly secured to middle sub-panel  100 B. The flexible material can be a flexible rubber or rubber-like material, or any other elastic material which returns to its original position after impact, for example, a TPV material. Sub-panel  100 C can be removably mounted with rivets, bolts or the like to permit easy replacement. 
       FIG. 5C  illustrates yet another embodiment of the present invention, in which upper sub-panel  100 C of panel  100  is made of a vertically oriented flexible bristle material, or other flexible multi-part material, which is rigidly secured to middle sub-panel  100 B. 
     By utilizing the embodiments of  FIG. 5A ,  5 B or  5 C the struts  110  can be rigidly attached to Trailer chassis  1 , although the  FIGS. 5A-5C  embodiments optionally can be combined with any of the embodiments of  FIGS. 3A-3C , according to preference. 
     The sub-panels  100 A and  100 B can be fabricated from sheet steel, aluminum, plastic, or other panel material, and fastened to a structural frame of steel, aluminum, plastic or other stock material to enhance rigidity. However, it is preferred that sub-panels  100 A and  100 B be fabricated of a plastic having gas injected into it when molten, such as thermoplastic olefin elastomer. Such a plastic will have less weight and a lower cost than a comparable all solid plastic. This plastic will also naturally tend to shed water and minimize snow/ice build-up during inclement winter conditions. In the embodiments of  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B,  3   c , and  5 A, upper sub-panel  100   c  can be fabricated of like material.