Patent ID: 7972098

Claim:
A trough liner for use in a transverse trough of a coil transport vehicle for transporting coils, rolls or cylindrical objects, the trough liner cushioning a load and preventing lateral creep of the load and comprising: a mounting base having a top surface and a bottom surface for secure mounting to a wall of a transverse trough of a coil transport vehicle via said bottom surface; a rib-structure extending from said mounting base and having a plurality of spaced-apart, flexible, rib elements for use in cushioning the load thereon and for preventing lateral creep of the load; each said rib element being flexible toward said mounting base when supporting the load thereon for cushioning the load; each said rib element also being at least partially deflectable in an opposite direction upon the load supported by other ones of said rib elements impinging thereagainst during lateral creep of the load during transport by the transport vehicle, each said rib element providing stiffened resistance to lateral creep of the load when said rib element is caused to deflect in said opposite direction; said plurality of rib elements being sloping rib elements extending in a same direction of slope and sloping in a direction such that, when the liner is mounted in the transverse trough of the coil transport vehicle, each said sloping rib element slopes toward a centerline of the transport vehicle; said plurality of rib elements being spaced apart from each other such that, when at least some of said rib elements are flexed downwardly from the load being placed thereon, each said respective rib element of said at least some of said rib elements deflecting and abutting against an immediately adjacent one of said rib elements which immediately adjacent rib element is taken in a direction toward the centerline of the transport vehicle when said liner is mounted in the transverse trough thereof; each said rib element comprising a first sloping section of a first slope, and a second sloping section of a second slope steeper than said slope of said first sloping section, and a curved transitional region connecting said first and second sloping section, whereby said second sloping section provides greater surface-contact area to the load positioned thereon and that reduces contact pressure therebetween.