Laydon Composites Ltd.

Zf Cv Systems Europe Bv

Other

Laydo Composites Ltd.

Zf Composites North America Ltd.

James D Haws

Andriy N Prokudin

Joseph Mancina

Miroslav Vukovic

Brian P Layfield

James Bruin

Jeffrey Vincent Littlefield

Roy Veldhuizen

A trailer fairing bracket for mounting an aerodynamic side fairing to a cargo trailer includes a support strut having a main body. An outwardly extending clamping wedge portion extends generally perpendicular to the main body. The main body is configured to support a trailer side fairing. The main body includes an elongated center portion having first and second ends, a central axis extending between the first and second ends, a lower skirt-mounting portion proximate the first end and extending perpendicular to the central axis, and an upper skirt-mounting portion disposed at the second end extending perpendicular to the central axis. The support strut is of a single molded piece construction. A pair of side clamping members cooperate with the clamping wedge portion of the support strut for securing the support strut to a cargo trailer.

Trailer fairing bracket

A clamp assembly is provided for securing a panel or fairing to an I-beam, and comprises a pair of side blocks and a clamping block, together with a single bolt to secure them in place. Each of the side blocks as an inclined wedge surface, and the T-shaped clamping block has similarly sloped wedge surfaces along the sides of the leg of the T. When a bolt this passed through side legs of the side blocks, and through or under the clamping block, a sliding and wedging action between the inclined and sloped wedge surfaces occurs. Moreover, a clamping action between the top surface of the clamping block and the lower surface of the lower flanges of the I-beam is also induced.

Clamp assembly for mounting panels to I-beams

An aerodynamic mud flap includes a body having a first lateral side, an opposite second lateral side, an upper end, an opposite lower end, a front face, and an opposite rear face. The body extends in a horizontal, vertical, and transverse directions. The body has a generally planar upper portion extending vertically from the upper end to a horizontal transition line, and an arcuate lower portion extending vertically from the transition line to the lower end. The lower portion is curved along the vertical direction such that the lower end of the body is offset from the upper end in the transverse direction and is disposed rearward of the upper end. A plurality of octagonal openings in the body extend from the front face to the rear face to allow for air flow through the mud flap from the front side to the rear side.

Aerodynamic mud flap

A clamp assembly is provided for securing a panel or fairing to an I-beam, and comprises a pair of side blocks and a clamping block having a central body and a flat surface at at least one end of the central body. The side blocks and the clamping block are secured together using a single bolt. The flat surface at the end of the central body is positioned at an angle to the central body, so as to provide an angled surface for mounting of a fairing.

Angled clamp assembly for mounting panels to I-beams

Fairing

Fairing support strut

A converter dolly is provided for use with a tractor-trailer wherein the converter dolly additionally comprises dolly fairings which are located in front of the wheels of the converter dolly. The dolly fairings are preferably made of fibreglass, and improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the converter dolly, and thus reduce fuel consumption.

Drag reduction fairing for a trailer converter dolly

A drag reduction plate is provided for trailers that are towed by vehicles along a roadway or highway, where the trailer typically has a box-like construction having a bottom, top, front, back, and sides, and at least one wheel set near the back end and below the bottom thereof. The drag reduction plate is a rigid or semi-rigid plate secured to and depending vertically downwardly from the bottom of the trailer and being disposed along a portion of the length of the trailer forwardly of the at least one wheel set. A drag reduction structure comprises a drag reduction plate and a pair of deflector plates also depending vertically downwardly from the bottom of a trailer; and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the rear end of the rigid or semi-rigid plate in a region which is forward of the at least one wheel set. The outer edges of the deflector plates are located at positions which are wider than the outer width of the wheel set.

Drag reduction plate and structure for trailers

A skirt panel is provided herein for interconnection to another abutted similar skirt panel for attachment beneath a lower, outer longitudinally-extending edge of a trailer including a rear wheel assembly of a tractor-trailer rig, thereby to provide a continuous fairing extending downwardly from the trailer. The skirt panel includes a monolithic, generally-rectangular composite reinforced thermoplastic structure, having vertical lateral side edges configured and arranged for connection to associated vertical lateral side edges of abutting similar skirt panels. This provides a longitudinally-extending fairing for extending contiguously on each side of the trailer, a front face of the thermoplastic structure being provided with a plurality of longitudinally-extending, vertically-spaced-apart arcuate protrusions. The outer face of the thermoplastic panel preferably also is provided with dimples. The reinforcing comprising a panel secured to an inner face of the skirt panel and is provided with laterally-extending means whereby abutting skirt panels are secured to one another; whereby, when said fairing is secured to a lower portion of said trailer, the fairing extends downwardly from the trailer to from 60% to 80% of the distance to the road, so that a portion of any impinging air is directed laterally around the wheels of the rear wheel bogeys to reduce the aerodynamic drag of the trailer and of the wheel assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Oakville, Canada

James D Haws