AU2010206488B2

AU2010206488B2 - Side curtain for trucks and semi-trailers

Info

Publication number: AU2010206488B2
Application number: AU2010206488A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Gregory Alan Brown
Original assignee: Transtech Research Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Transtech Research Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2009-01-20
Filing date: 2010-01-20
Publication date: 2014-02-13
Anticipated expiration: 2030-01-20
Also published as: WO2010083557A1; NZ592135A; AU2010206488A1

Abstract

A side curtain arrangement, for a truck or trailer body, includes a side curtain and a plurality of reinforcing straps extending between top and bottom edges of the curtain at intervals along the curtain. The straps are connectable to a top part of the body to be slidable longitudinally of the body and pivotable parallel to the plane of the curtain. The lower end of each strap has an engagement member for engaging the body at or adjacent a floor of the body when the strap is pivoted in a first direction to enable the straps to be held or locked by the engagement members engaging the body. Means interconnecting the lower ends of the straps facilitate simultaneous pivotal movement of the straps both in the first direction, and also in an opposite second direction to enable the straps to be released or unlocked by the engagement members disengaging from the body.

Description

WO 2010/083557 PCT/AU2010/000049 1 SIDE CURTAIN FOR TRUCKS AND SEMI-TRAILERS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to side curtains for truck and semi-trailer (trailer) bodies and more particularly to a side curtain arrangement which has an improved mechanism for opening and closing the curtain, as well as high load retention characteristics. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Traditionally, side curtains on truck and trailer bodies are retained along the top edge on a rail extending along the roof of the body in a manner whereby the curtain may be slid between the ends of the body. This is achieved by a series of roller assemblies to which the top edge of the curtain is attached at spaced locations. At one or both ends of the body, the curtain is wrapped around a vertical pipe and the pipe is rotatable by a ratchet mechanism to tension the curtain in a horizontal direction. Along the bottom edge the curtain is conventionally tensioned in a vertical direction by a large number of closely spaced straps, and buckles with hooks that engage underneath the coaming rail of the body. In the case of a 45 foot long trailer there are as many as 24 such straps. These straps and buckles require a significant amount of time to release, or to attach and tension, considerably increasing the time to unload or load a curtain sided truck or trailer. A side curtain that reduces the time required to release (open) and attach (close), is disclosed in applicants' earlier Australian Certified Innovation Patent No. 2008100475 and pending International Application No. PCT/AU2008/000129. According to the invention of that patent and application, the side curtain bottom edge is in the shape of a series of intersecting arcs where the points of intersection (apexes) of adjoining arcs are the lowermost points of the curtain and provide attachment points for attaching the side curtain to the body. As a consequence there are only a small number of attachment points (about 6 in a 45 foot trailer). In the preferred construction pneumatically actuated hook devices engage the curtain at the attachment points to provide vertical tension to the curtain. Curtains of this construction are marketed under the Trade Mark EZILINER and significantly reduce the time required in closing and opening the side curtain.

WO 2010/083557 PCT/AU2010/000049 2 Neither of the above described prior art side curtains provide any significant side load restraint and therefore, in order to meet transport vehicle regulations now in force they require gates or frames on the inside of the curtain to provide the necessary safety against side load movement. The gates or frames are heavy and cumbersome and can cause occupational health and safety issues. Furthermore, the gates or frames are a cost burden and also add about 300 kg in weight when installed on a 45 foot long trailer thus reducing the maximum pay-load. Applicants have previously invented a side curtain that provides significant side load restraint by combining the straps and buckles with fibreglass or like flexible straps which extend vertically between each roller assembly at the top and each strap and buckle at the bottom. These closely spaced straps (one per buckle) provide load bearing qualities to the side curtain and are preferably enclosed in pockets in the side curtain. A detailed description of this earlier invention is disclosed in Applicants' Australian Patent Application No. 2008900452. However, it still requires a large number of buckles closely spaced along the length of the curtain and therefore the time to open and close the curtain is significant, making this curtain undesirable for short haulage. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a side curtain for truck and trailer bodies that has significant load restraining characteristics and is relatively simple and quick to open and close. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a side curtain arrangement, for a truck or trailer body, wherein the side curtain arrangement includes a side curtain and a plurality of reinforcing straps extending between top and bottom edges of the curtain at respective intervals along the curtain; the straps are connectable to a top part of the body so as to be slidable longitudinally of the body and also pivotable parallel to the plane of the curtain; the lower end of each strap has an engagement member for engaging the body at or adjacent a floor of the body when the strap is pivoted in a first direction to enable the straps to be held or locked by the engagement members engaging the body; and wherein the side curtain arrangement includes means interconnecting the lower ends of the straps to facilitate simultaneous pivotal movement of the straps in the first direction, and in a second direction opposite to the WO 2010/083557 PCT/AU2010/000049 3 first direction to enable the straps to be released or unlocked by the engagement members disengaging from the body. One form of the invention provides a side curtain arrangement for a truck or trailer body including reinforcing straps extending between the top and bottom edges of the curtain, the straps being connected to a top rail of the body so as to be slidable longitudinally of the body and also pivotable in the plane of the curtain, the lower end of each strap having means for engaging the body at or adjacent a floor of the body, when the straps are pivoted in a first direction away from the vertical, to lock said straps in a closed position of the curtain, and means interconnecting the lower ends of the straps to facilitate simultaneous pivotal movement in the first direction, and in a second and opposite direction to release the straps from engagement with the body. Preferably each strap is located in a respective pocket or sleeve extending substantially vertically on the inside of the curtain. The means for engaging the body of the truck or trailer may comprise a respective upwardly facing channel or groove at the bottom of each strap, the channels or grooves pivoting arcuately as a result of movement of the straps in the first direction to engage a downwardly directed flange extending in the longitudinal direction of the body adjacent said floor. Preferably the pockets or sleeves are tapered pockets which are wider at the bottom to facilitate the pivotal movement of the straps. The straps may be pivotable in the first direction, away from the vertical, through an angle of about 100 from the vertical when in said locked position and are about 70 from the vertical when released. Preferably each strap is connected to a respective roller assembly on the top rail. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more readily understood one particular embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which are not drawn to scale and wherein: Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of a trailer body illustrating part of a side curtain according to the invention in a first condition; Figure 2 is similar to Figure 1 but shows the curtain in a second condition; Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line I-I of Figure 1; WO 2010/083557 PCT/AU2010/000049 4 Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line Il-Il of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a schematic side elevation of part of a side curtain; and Figure 6 shows on an enlarged scale top and bottom sectional views taken on lines A-A and B-B of Figure 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figures 1 and 2 show part of a trailer 10 from one end 11 of the trailer 10. A side curtain 12 is mounted along each side of trailer 10. The broken lines shown on curtain 12 depict tapered pockets or sleeves 13 on the inside of the curtain. Each pocket or sleeve 13 is tapered to increase in width parallel to curtain 12, and each pocket or sleeve 13 accommodates a reinforcing strap 14. The body of trailer 10 has a respective conventional top rail 15 extending along each side of the trailer 10 and supported above a side coaming rail 18 of the trailer body. Each strap 14 is mounted at its top end to a respective roller assembly 16 by a pin 17 which also secures the upper edge of curtain 12 and allows the strap to pivot in a plane parallel to curtain 12. As shown, the tapered pockets or sleeves 13 allow limited pivotal movement of the straps through a small angle, such as between a position which is inclined at about 7.52 to the vertical and a position which is inclined at about 102 to the vertical (see Figure 5). Starting the pivotal movement at an angle to the vertical reduces the amount of pivotal movement necessary to raise the bottom end of the straps a distance required for locking the straps to the trailer body, as will become apparent hereinbelow. Each strap 14 may consist of a length of fibre reinforced polymer, and preferably is produced by pultrusion. The polymer may for example be one based on a polyester, vinyl ester, epoxy, phenolic or urethane resin. The fibre content may for example be fibreglass, carbon fibers or other suitable fibers in multi-filament strands, mat or woven or stitched fabric. The straps 14 preferably are of a thickness and width such that, while they are relatively rigid, their length enables the straps to flex resiliently to a degree providing lateral restraint in the event that a load carried in the body of trailer 10 moves laterally. The lateral restraint preferably is such that the straps 14 enable curtain 12 to be used without gates or frames and yet comply with Load Restraint Guidelines according to a rating to load type, trailer design and intended use. Each strap 14 preferably is substantially inextensible so as to avoid WO 2010/083557 PCT/AU2010/000049 5 significant variation in its length and hence minimise deflections when laterally restraining the load/freight being transported in the body of trailer 10. Reference should now be made to Figures 3 and 4 which show the bottom end of each strap and also the coaming rail 18 of the trailer body. A connecting block 19 is connected to the bottom end of each strap 14 by bolts or rivets 20 that pass through the strap and the connecting block. The connecting block has an upstanding tapered edge 21 which, in combination with the strap 14, forms an upwardly facing channel 22. A flange 23 is welded to the coaming rail 18 along the length of the trailer and provides a means for locking the connecting blocks 19, and hence the straps 14, to the coaming rail 18 when the connecting blocks are pulled in a direction shown by the arrow "A" in Figures 1 and 2. For the purpose of simultaneously pulling each of the connecting blocks 19 to the locking position (as shown in Figure 3) they may be interconnected by a flexible connector 24 which has been omitted in Figures 1 and 2 but is evident in Figures 3 and 4. Alternatively, connector 24 may comprise a steel bracket which extends to each side of the strap 14, and by which successive straps 14 are inter-connected by a length of flexible strap, such as 25mm woven strap, provided therebetween. A tensioner (not shown) is provided at an end of the trailer 10 and has a wire or cable (not shown) which connects to the block 19 nearest the same end. The tensioner may have a handle for winding the cable in a direction to pull the blocks 19 simultaneously to the locking position. When tension in the cable is released the blocks 19 and straps 14 are free to move in an opposite direction, such as under gravity in the arrangement illustrated, whereby the blocks 19 and hence the straps 14 are released from the coaming rail 18 (see Figure 4). The curtain is then able to be opened in a conventional manner by releasing a pole at one end of the trailer 10 and sliding the curtain 12 on roller assemblies 16 towards the other end of the trailer. If necessary a second cable and tensioner arrangement (not shown), similar to that described above, may be provided at the other end of the trailer for the purpose of pulling the connecting blocks 19 in the direction to release them from engagement with the coaming rail. Still further the second cable could be returned via a tensioner (not shown) to the same end of the trailer as the first tensioner whereby the operations of locking and releasing the connecting blocks 19 could both be performed from the same end of the trailer. This would avoid the operator having to walk the length of the trailer in order to release the blocks 19. In a further modification of the WO 2010/083557 PCT/AU2010/000049 6 above described embodiment the manually operated tensioner may be replaced by a power operated device (not shown) which may be electrically or pneumatically operated. As mentioned previously the reinforcing straps 14 are each accommodated in individual tapered pockets or sleeves 13 on the inside of the curtain and these pockets or sleeves 13 are shown in Figures 5 and 6. As well as being tapered in width from a narrow width at the top (Figure 6(a)) to a wider width at the bottom (Figure 6(b)) the pockets are inclined to the vertical such that one side of each pocket is at a first small angle to the vertical, such as from 50 to 100 and the other side is at a second larger angle in the same direction as the first angle, such as from 70 to 130 to the vertical. In Figure 5, the right hand side of each pocket or sleeve 13 is shown as inclined at an angle of 82.50 to the horizontal, and hence 7.50 to the vertical. The left side of each pocket or sleeve 13 is shown as inclined at an angle of 800 to the horizontal, in the same direction as the right side, giving an angle of 100 to the vertical. Each pocket or sleeve 13 accordingly allows its strap 14 (not shown in Figure 5) to pivot through an angle corresponding to the inclined angle between the sides, i.e. the angle at which the sides diverge from top to bottom, of about 7.50. As mentioned above, the advantage of starting the pivotal movement of the straps 14 from an angle away from the vertical enables greater vertical movement of the connecting blocks 19 for a given pivotal movement of the straps 14. Apart from the tapered pockets or sleeves 13 and the reinforcing straps 14 the side curtain 12 preferably accords with conventional prior art side curtains. Thus curtain 12 preferably is tensioned horizontally by a pole (not shown) at one or both ends of the curtain and the pole is rotated by a conventional ratchet mechanism to tighten the curtain. The side curtain 12 may be closed by firstly pulling the curtain to an end of the trailer and locking the end pole into the ratchet mechanism and tightening the curtain horizontally in the conventional manner. At this point the connecting blocks are in the position shown in Figure 4, free from engagement with the coaming rail. The operator then actuates the tensioner at the end of the trailer to cause the straps 14 to pivot in the manner described whereby the connecting blocks 19 engage the coaming rail as shown in Figure 3. The tensioner is locked in this position whereby the side curtain is WO 2010/083557 PCT/AU2010/000049 7 fully secured and able to withstand significant side loading whilst meeting the current transport vehicle regulations regarding allowable deflection under side load. Whilst one particular embodiment has been described in detail it will be evident that modifications can be readily made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the connecting block arrangement at the bottom end of the reinforcing straps 14 could take many different forms as could the coaming rail. It is only important that pivotal movement of the straps causes the bottom end of the straps to lock into the coaming rail and be retained thereby. Also, the mechanism for pulling the bottom of the straps could take other forms. In the arrangement of Figures 3 and 4, the straps 14 pivot on the pins 17 in a common direction in which the lower end of each strap 14 is raised to locate the edge 21 of the respective connecting block 19 behind flange 23. Pivoting of straps 14 in the reverse direction moves edge 21 of each block below flange 23. In an alternative arrangement, locking can be achieved by pivoting to drop the lower end of strap 14, to bring edge 21 behind a respective flange section for each strap, with unlocking achieved by pivoting to raise the lower end of each strap. This alternative would necessitate a longitudinally spaced series of flange sections along and on coaming rail 18, and the more simple arrangement illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 is preferred. However, in each case, the straps are tensioned when in the locking position, limiting the extent to which straps 13 can flex in the event of movement of goods being carried in the body of trailer 10. It should be further evident that the present invention provides a side curtain arrangement that is far more easily opened and closed by avoiding the need to undo and fasten many closely spaced buckles along the side of the trailer. This is achieved without compromising the side load restraining characteristics of the curtain disclosed in Applicants' earlier Australian Patent Application No. 2008900452, for example. Since modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention could be readily effected by persons skilled in the art it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment, described by way of example, hereinabove.

Claims

1. A side curtain arrangement, for a truck or trailer body, wherein the side curtain arrangement includes a side curtain and a plurality of reinforcing straps extending between top and bottom edges of the curtain at respective intervals along the curtain; the straps are connectable to a top part of the body so as to be slidable longitudinally of the body and also pivotable parallel to the plane of the curtain; the lower end of each strap has an engagement member for engaging the body at or adjacent a floor of the body when the strap is pivoted in a first direction to enable the straps to be held or locked by the engagement members engaging the body; and wherein the side curtain arrangement includes means interconnecting the lower ends of the straps to facilitate simultaneous pivotal movement of the straps in the first direction, and in a second direction opposite to the first direction to enable the straps to be released or unlocked by the engagement members disengaging from the body.

2. The side curtain arrangement of claim 1, wherein each reinforcing strap is located in a respective pocket or sleeve in which the strap is able to pivot parallel to the plane of the curtain.

3. The side curtain arrangement of claim 1, wherein each pocket or sleeve increases in width parallel to the curtain from an upper to a lower end of the pocket or sleeve.

4. The side curtain arrangement of claim 3, wherein each reinforcing strap is adjacent to a respective side of the pocket or sleeve after pivoting in the first or second position, with each side of the pocket or sleeve being at a respective small angle to the vertical.

5. The side curtain arrangement of claim 4, wherein one of the sides is at an angle of from 50 to 100 to the vertical, and the others of the sides is at a greater angle of from 70 to 130 and in the same direction as the angle of the one side.

6. The side curtain arrangement of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the engagement member of each strap defines an upwardly facing channel or groove WO 2010/083557 PCT/AU2010/000049 9 adjacent to the bottom of its strap which moves arcuately upwards, as the strap pivots in the first direction, for engagement with a downwardly directed flange extending in the longitudinal direction of the body, adjacent to the floor.

7. The side curtain arrangement of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the engagement member of each strap defines an upwardly facing channel or groove adjacent to the bottom of its strap which moves arcuately downwardly, as the strap pivots in the first direction, for engagement with a respective one of a series of downwardly directed flange sections spaced in the longitudinal direction of the body, adjacent to the floor.

8. The side curtain arrangement of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each strap comprises a length of fibre reinforced polymer.

9. The side curtain arrangement of claim 8, wherein each strap is produced by pultrusion.

10. The side curtain of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each strap is formed of steel, or an aluminium alloy.

11. The side curtain of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each strap is formed of an engineering polymer.

12. The side curtain of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each strap is connectable to the top rail by connection to a respective roller assembly.

13. The side curtain of claim 12, wherein each strap is connectable to the respective roller assembly by a pin on which the strap is pivotable.

14. The side curtain of claim 13, wherein the curtain is secured at its upper edge, in relation to each strap, by means of the respective pin. WO 2010/083557 PCT/AU2010/000049 10

15. A curtain sided trailer or truck, wherein at least one side of a body of the trailer or truck has a curtain of a side curtain arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 14.