Little Help With a Fuel Efficiency Project Please?

Psssssst, I shouldn't tell you this but I have been running my car on a mix of gasoline and hydrogen (generated from Brown Water, ask your prof ) I got the design of a web site that mysteriously disappeared.

Hey got to go there's someone knocking at the door.

 

Unfortunately, bsawyer7, there are docks where there is less than 20" of clearance to the side of the trailer. It's not necessarily caused by placing two trailers side-by-side, but rather dock's proximity to its surroundings (keep in mind that some docks are installed after the building's completed). Many common potential hazards include a structure that overhangs the top and side of the trailer to protect it from wind and rain (this in addition to the foam padding); a catwalk with a railing beside the dock (very common); an building overhang; a waste dumpster; even the pipes for a gas main!

I think that if the wings were removable when necessary, then it wouldn't be a problem, so long as disassembly was straight forward (and by straight forward, I mean easy to do in the wind/rain/snow-at-3am-straight-forward). Come to think of it, I also suggest fabricating it from multiple pieces bolted together, rather than a single-piece to simplify repair because, frankly, it's going to get broken. Someone will back into it ...or back it into something else.

[P.S. And I'm not joking about the gas main, either. I occasionally pick up at a customer in Scarborough, ON, who's piping and meter for their gas main is about 10" too far to the left. If you're square and centre to the dock, you'd hit it. There's a yellow marking pipe to absorb some of the impact but it's not very effective because the meter extends about 4" beyond the pipe and is still vulnerable. You need to be 10" off centre to avoid it but still allow the dock-plate to avoid the side-wall of the trailer.]

 

I really hate to burst your bubble, and your Professors.

But an application has been filed and approved with the US Patent Office. Of a similar design.

On top of that, it already has NTSB approval for use in the industry. It extends past the trailer by several feet, and has been approved by the DOT for operational use. This allowance is an exemption to length laws, due to the design nature of the "louvers"

The "louvers" are less than 3/8 inch thick, hinged, and designed to fold flat against the trailer doors, for unloading.

Fuels savings are right on target with what you have described.

I would search for the link. But the research and application filings you're doing, will require you do that anyway.

Better luck next time.

 

Super valu in tacoma washington, docks are so close that trailer doors touch when backed into the docks, so tight you have to wiggle your truck and mirrors past other trucks in the docks, so what bsawyer7 is proposing wouldnt work sorry .

 

At dance694u,

Certainly there are other designs, but I don't see that as a reason to stop his research. If you re-read his post, you'll see that the professor has already received a patent for the design being discussed. There are two options: either this is the same design, or they're entirely different designs, which is evident from the issuance of two separate patents, rather than a copyright infringement lawsuit.

At Peanut Butter,

If they're removable, then it would work just fine. Why assume that they need to be fixed in place?

 

You're correct in your assessment of separate designs, but wrong with agreeing the design is viable. I have a square wheel design, wanna see it?

Would you prefer taking the drivers door off to get out of your truck, or simply open it on hinges with it's current design? It's not only a matter of practicality. It's a matter of getting NTSB and DOT approval.

 

These devices may be used by dedicated or private carrier companies such as WalMart where they have measured the docks is advance. Irregular route truckers still face many docks that were built when maximum trailer width was 96". My memory is full of tearing shirts or jackets while squeezing between two trailers. There are memories of open trailer doors damaged by another trailer backing in. There are memories of poorly lighted indoor docks where the driver is unable to see the rear of his trailer as he is backing because he is still outdoors in daylight. There are memories of being unable to crank up the landing gear because someone has parked too close. The Hummel warehouse in Kalamazoo is a modern facility. However, one of their docks must be used for only a storage trailer because it is only about six inches from the next dock. A driver could not reach the landing gear crank on this storage trailer. We rub open trailer doors together when backing in. Over the years, I have been amazed that college trained architects design these places.

 

.
Here's the bottom line.

CFI/Conway truckload, routes drivers around the MI scale when hauling tires into Taylor, MI. Or they did in the past, due to the bulge in the trailer causing over-width fines being levied.

This tells me that any drivers bound for MI, will be subject to over-width fines.

Removable or not, in design.

PS, An idea can only be given a patent if it is accompanied by a design/schematic.

Just announcing you have an idea for a better mouse trap...doesn't giet you a patent.