WO2016209878A1 - Jupe d'air pour essieu porteur - Google Patents

Jupe d'air pour essieu porteur Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2016209878A1
WO2016209878A1 PCT/US2016/038640 US2016038640W WO2016209878A1 WO 2016209878 A1 WO2016209878 A1 WO 2016209878A1 US 2016038640 W US2016038640 W US 2016038640W WO 2016209878 A1 WO2016209878 A1 WO 2016209878A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
axle
air
air skirt
skirt
attached
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2016/038640
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Harry W. TROST
Steven G. Slesinski
Original Assignee
Dana Heavy Vehicle Systems Group, Llc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Dana Heavy Vehicle Systems Group, Llc filed Critical Dana Heavy Vehicle Systems Group, Llc
Publication of WO2016209878A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016209878A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D35/00—Vehicle bodies characterised by streamlining
    • B62D35/001—For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D35/00—Vehicle bodies characterised by streamlining
    • B62D35/02—Streamlining the undersurfaces
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/80—Technologies aiming to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions common to all road transportation technologies
    • Y02T10/82—Elements for improving aerodynamics
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/80—Technologies aiming to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions common to all road transportation technologies
    • Y02T10/88—Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to air skirting for axles of tractor trailers. Specific embodiments relate to air skirting for drive axles of tractor trailers.
  • This invention proposes an arrangement where the air skirting is attached to at least one axle of a tractor trailer.
  • the operation of the invention is very simple. As the tractor is traversing down a road, air is moving under the tractor. Adding air skirting to at least one axle will smooth the air flow and prevent it from flowing over rough uneven surfaces like the head assembly carrier casting, axle housing, brake chambers, suspension components, and frame rails.
  • Covering the axle assembly with an air skirt can also serve as a protective element.
  • the components of the axle assembly will be exposed to less corrosive material, thereby lengthening the life span of the sale assembly.
  • the embodiments of the invention as described herein include features, such as louvres or vents, that help regulate the temperature of the axle.
  • Temperature of the axle is important for several reasons. For example, too much heat results in increase wear and breakdown of axle components. In contrast, increased heat surrounding the axle can decrease the viscosity of the oil lubricating the axle, thereby making the oil less viscous, increasing axle efficiency, and decreasing fuel consumption. Therefore, controlling the temperature is an important consideration in addition to those surrounding efficiency.
  • the present invention is directed toward an axle assembly where the axle assembly has an axle with a first and second half; and an air skirt.
  • the air skirt has a first and second attachment end, wherein the first attachment end is attached to the first half of the axle and the second attachment end is attached to the second half of the axle, and wherein a portion of the air skirt between the first and second attachment has a contour that follows a contour of the axle.
  • Figs. 1A and 1B show a conventional tractor trailer combination.
  • Fig. 2 shows a side view of a tandem axle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 3 shows a front view of an axle assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 4 shows a bottom view of a front and rear axle air skirt in a second embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 5 shows a top-down perspective view of the air skirt of Fig. 4.
  • Fig. 6 shows a side view of -the air skirt of Fig. 4.
  • Fig. 7 shows a front bottom-up perspective view of the air skirt of Fig. 4 attached to a tractor in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 8 shows a bottom up view of the air skirt of Fig. 4 attached to a tractor in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 9 shows a rear bottom-up perspective of the air skirt of Fig. 4 attached to a tractor in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 10 shows a front top-down perspective view of the air skirt of Fig. 4 attached to the tractor in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 1 shows a side view of the air skirt of Fig. 4 attached to the tractor trailer in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 12 shows a front bottom-up perspective view of an axle assembly with an air skirt in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 13 shows a front top-down perspective view of an axie assembly in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 1 A shows a side view of a conventional tractor trailer combination including a tractor unit 1 , a trailer (detachable) 2, an engine compartment 3, a cabin 4, a sleeper (not present in all trucks) 5, an air dam (not present in all trucks) 6, fuel tanks 7, a fifth wheel coupling 8, an enclosed cargo space 9, landing gear 10, for when the trailer is detached, tandem trailer axles 11 , tandem drive axles 12 and front drive axle 14.
  • Fig. 1B shows the underneath of the tractor trailer combination of Fig. 1A.
  • the air skirt 108 can be attached to one or both of drive axles 14 or tandem axle 12 one or both trailer axles 11.
  • the specific shape of the air skirt 108 can be the same for the front axle and rear axle or tandem axles 1 or 12, or it can be different.
  • Fig. 2 shows a schematic of a side view of the front 100 and rear axle assemblies 101 of a tandem drive axle 102, with the front of the tractor trailer to the left.
  • the front axle shaft 103 and rear axle shaft 104 are shown, as well as the front differential carrier 105 and rear differential carrier 106.
  • the air skirting 108 is shown in side profile as the dark black line. Note that the profile of the air skirting 108 contains a front axle portion 109 and a rear axle portion 110.
  • the front axle portion 109 has a curved portion 111 and a flat portion 112.
  • the transition 111a between the curved portion 111 and the flat portion 112 can occur at any point along front axle portion 109.
  • the flat portion 112 can extend rearward past the differential carrier 105.
  • the rear axle portion 110 can extend forward past the differential carrier 106.
  • Fig. 3 shows a frontal view of either a front or rear differential carrier
  • the air skirting 108 follows the contour of the axle assembly 100,101 to create a convex portion 113 under the differential carrier 105, 106.
  • Fig. 4 shows a bottom view of an -air skirt 200 that has a front axle portion 202 and a rear axle portion 204.
  • the front axle portion 202 has an upward trending portion 206.
  • a transition zone 208 extends between the front main body 210 of the front axle portion 202 and the upward trending portion 206.
  • the rear axle portion 204 of the air skirt 200 has a rear main body 212 and a front upward tilt section 214 and a rear upward tilt section 216.
  • the air skirt 200 may have ribs 218.
  • the ribs 218 are shown as grooves that project upward in this perspective (see. Fig. 6 below for
  • the ribs 218 could be projections that project downward and still be considered within the scope of the invention.
  • the ribs 218 could have holes or slots or some other aperture to allow for air flow.
  • the upward trending portion 206 may also have a cut out area 220, as shown in Fig. 12) to fit around other complements of the tractor unit 1.
  • Fig. 5 shows the air skirt of Fig. 4 from a top-down perspective.
  • the side profile of the air skirting 200 is shown in Fig. 6.
  • the front of the tractor 1 would be to the left.
  • Fig. 7 shows a front bottom-up perspective view of the air skirt 200 of Fig. 4 attached to the tractor 1.
  • Fig. 7 shows the tractor chassis 300 and the driveshaft 302 and tires 304.
  • Fig. 8 shows a bottom up view of the air skirt 200 of Fig. 4 attached to the tractor 1.
  • Fig. 9 shows a rear bottom-up perspective view of the air skirt 200 of Fig. 4 attached to the tractor 1.
  • Fig. 10 shows a front top-down perspective view of the air skirt 200 of
  • Fig. 11 shows a side view of the air skirt 200 of Fig. 4 attached to the tractor 1.
  • the air skirting 108 or 200 can be made from any suitable material such as plastic, epoxy, aluminum, other metals, or the like, or any combination.
  • the material can be formed with at least one vent 250.
  • the vent 250 can be of any shape, size, and can be placed in any location in air skirt 108 or 200.
  • the vent 250 may be in the form of an opening as shown in Fig. 12, or may be louvered (not shown), or covered in a mesh or other breathable material (not shown).
  • the purpose of the vent 250 is to help maintain the temperature around the axle assembly in a desired range by both or either containing heat generated by axle during operation or allowing air to cool the axle assembly.
  • the vent 250 can be formed or cut or machined into the air skirt 108 or 200.
  • the vent 250 can be unitary with the air skirt 108 or 200 or comprise a separate piece that is attached to the air skirt 108 or 200 via conventional means.
  • the ribs 218 could have holes or slots or some other aperture to allow for air flow.
  • an axle assembly 12 may have a frame cover 260.
  • the frame cover 260 as shown in Fig. 13, may cover the axle 103/104 associated with the air skirt 108 or 200.
  • the frame cover 260 could extend to cover both axles of a tandem axle 12 of tractor 1 or tandem axle 14 of trailer 2 or the front drive axle 14 as needed.
  • the frame cover 260 as shown in Fig.
  • the frame cover 260 can be attached to the chassis 300 using any conventional fastening means.
  • the frame cover 260 can be made from any suitable material such as plastic, epoxy, aluminum, other metals, or the like, or any combination.
  • the air skirt 108 or 200 is shown in Figs. 2-13 as being attached to the tandem axle 12 of tractor 1. However, it is an embodiment of 1he invention to have an air skirt 108 or 200 attached to the front drive axle 14 of the tractor 1. Likewise, these air skirt 108 or 200 may be attached to the tandem axle 11 of the trailer 2. It is possible and within the scope of this invention that any of these alternative embodiments would use either both portions of the air skirt 108 or 200, or a single portion (front axle portion 202 or rear axle portion 204).
  • the air skirt 108 or 200 is not a unitary piece. However, it is conceivable that the air skirt 108 or 200 may be composed of a single unitary piece.
  • the front axle portion 109 or 202 and rear axle portion 110 or 204 may be attached to one another, either rigidly (with straps or screws or the like, as non-limiting examples) or flexibly (with hinges, as a non- limiting example).
  • any suitable method of attachment is hereby included in the scope of this invention.
  • One non-limiting example of such methods may be bolting to the axle housing or differential carriers.
  • Another non-limiting example may be to have hasps, such as a U-bolt, that wrap around the axle shafts 103 or 104 and are bolted to the air skirt 08 or 200.
  • a similar method could be used to attach the air skirt 108 or 200 to the chassis 300 itself.
  • the embodiments described herein each have features that are interchangeable between embodiments.
  • the air skirt 108 shown in Fig. 3 can be formed with ribs 218.
  • air skirt 200 can be made with a convex portion 113 that follows the differential 105, 106.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne une jupe d'air pour des essieux de tracteurs de type semi-remorque. Des modes de réalisation spécifiques se rapportent à une jupe d'air pour des essieux tandem de tracteurs de type semi-remorque. La jupe d'air est fixée à l'ensemble d'essieux et contribue à réduire la traînée pendant le fonctionnement du véhicule provoquée par des turbulences d'air se déplaçant au-dessus d'éléments exposés de l'ensemble d'essieux. La jupe d'air peut également contenir des évents pour faciliter la régulation de température entourant l'ensemble d'essieux.
PCT/US2016/038640 2015-06-22 2016-06-22 Jupe d'air pour essieu porteur WO2016209878A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201562183044P 2015-06-22 2015-06-22
US62/183,044 2015-06-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2016209878A1 true WO2016209878A1 (fr) 2016-12-29

Family

ID=56404303

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2016/038640 WO2016209878A1 (fr) 2015-06-22 2016-06-22 Jupe d'air pour essieu porteur

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2016209878A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN110733582A (zh) * 2019-10-30 2020-01-31 江苏徐工工程机械研究院有限公司 重卡牵引车的底盘系统及重卡牵引车

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0030122A1 (fr) * 1979-11-28 1981-06-10 Team Lotus International Limited Véhicule à effet de sol
EP1870322A1 (fr) * 2006-06-20 2007-12-26 Iveco S.p.A. Système pour optimiser les caractéristiques aérodynamiques du dessous d'une semi-remorque
US20100066123A1 (en) * 2008-09-17 2010-03-18 Ortega Jason M Trailer wheel fairings
US20100143695A1 (en) * 2007-06-27 2010-06-10 Masanori Ogawa Automobile floor back covering material and process for producing the same

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0030122A1 (fr) * 1979-11-28 1981-06-10 Team Lotus International Limited Véhicule à effet de sol
EP1870322A1 (fr) * 2006-06-20 2007-12-26 Iveco S.p.A. Système pour optimiser les caractéristiques aérodynamiques du dessous d'une semi-remorque
US20100143695A1 (en) * 2007-06-27 2010-06-10 Masanori Ogawa Automobile floor back covering material and process for producing the same
US20100066123A1 (en) * 2008-09-17 2010-03-18 Ortega Jason M Trailer wheel fairings

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN110733582A (zh) * 2019-10-30 2020-01-31 江苏徐工工程机械研究院有限公司 重卡牵引车的底盘系统及重卡牵引车
CN114408032A (zh) * 2019-10-30 2022-04-29 江苏徐工工程机械研究院有限公司 重卡牵引车的底盘系统及重卡牵引车

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