Aerodynamic Retarder

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to structures for changing the aerodynamic characteristics of tractor-trailer vehicles. More specifically, this invention relates to an apparatus and method for effecting aerodynamic braking of a tractor-trailer vehicle utilizing the front surface of a trailer which extends above the cab of a tractor.

2. Background Art

Various fairings and streamlining devices are currently available to reduce the aerodynamic drag on tractor-trailer combinations aerodynamically masking the discontinuity in height between the top of the cab and the top of the trailer or cargo container. These fairings are either mounted on top of the cab or on the front of the trailer. In addition to reducing aerodynamic drag, recent advances in tire technology have reduced the rolling resistance of such vehicles. Heavy trucks now require less power to maintain a given highway speed. The result of this trend is that due to the reduced aerodynamic and tire drag of heavy trucks, additional loads are placed on the service brakes. Little thought as been given to utilizing increased air resistance to assist the service brakes in retarding the forward motion of a truck.

At least one cab-mounted deflector, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,548, is adjustable to vary the wind deflection over the trailer for maximum fuel efficiency. It is conceivable that when such a device is fully retracted, or in a position to maximize aerodynamic drag, some braking effect is achieved. However, these devices are not designed to quickly adjust from maximum to minimum resistance so as to be effective as braking systems. Furthermore, the structure is hinged at one end and activated at the other end and is inherently inefficient for executing quick changes from maximum to minimum resistance.

Although various other types of spoilers and flaps have been designed to perform aerodynamic braking cooperatively with a vehicle's service brakes, such systems utilize relatively small reaction surfaces. These systems are also necessarily complex.

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the above devices by utilizing the front face of an attached trailer or cargo section to provide a large blocking surface to resist the flow of air and by selectively aerodynamically shielding this surface with a quick-acting door. The present invention is preferably designed to work cooperatively with some component of the vehicle, such as service brakes, which senses desired deceleration of the vehicle.

It is an object of the invention to provide an aerodynamic brake which disables a portion of an aerodynamic deflector to expose the front of a trailer as a reactive surface.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a fast-acting deflector disabling device to expose the rearward cargo carrying compartment of the vehicle.

It is a further objective of this invention to provide an aerodynamic brake which is actuated with the application of the tractor's service brakes, engine retarder, drive train retarder, etc.

The invention achieves these objectives by employing a quick-acting door, centrally pivoted, in a standard roof-mounted deflector or fairing. Preferably, the operation of the door is cooperative with other speed-reducing actuators of the vehicle, such as the tractor service brake control system.

In one embodiment, an air-deflecting fairing or deflector is mounted on top of a cab to provide a streamlined shape, reducing the aerodynamic drag of the trailer. A door is provided in the front of the fairing to selectively alter the aerodynamic function of the fairing from maximum to minimum efficiency. The door is opened to expose the front section of the trailer to the air stream, thereby achieving aerodynamic braking; the door is closed to divert the air stream over the top of the trailer, thereby achieving maximum aerodynamic efficiency, as with a standard fairing.

The door is pivoted about an axis passing through the center line of the aerodynamic forces acting on the door so that regardless of the position of the door, the aerodynamic forces acting thereon will substantially be in equilibrium, neither tending to open nor close the door. This allows a lower force, faster acting actuator to open and close the door. The fast-acting feature allows the door to operate manually or cooperatively with the tractor's service brake (or engine-drive train retarding system) so that when the braking occurs, the door will open, and when the braking is deactivated, the door will close.

In addition to the quick response time of the present invention, the invention achieves superior aerodynamic braking effect by employing a larger aerodynamic braking surface than other available devices. When the door of the present invention is opened, the full available frontal area of the trailer or other cargo container is exposed to the airflow.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the aerodynamic retarder is use on a typical tractor-trailer combination.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the aerodynamic retarder showing one-half of the retarder and the central position of the pivot axis of the retarder.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the aerodynamic retarder with a portion cut away to reveal the actuating mechanism of the invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, like numerals herein designate like numbered parts in the figures.

In FIG. 1, an aerodynamic deflector or fairing, in accordance with the present invention, is generally indicated at 10. The deflector is shown mounted on the roof 12 of a tractor cab 14 which is coupled to a conventional trailer 16. The principles are also applicable, however, to single-chassis trucks having high covered cargo compartments. A retarder 24 is shown in a retarding or aerodynamic braking mode in the center of the deflector. The retarder and deflector can be made from a variety of materials, including those presently employed in the construction of aerodynamic fairings.

The deflector 10 has a top part 18, a left side 20 and a right side 19. The top side is curved, forming a substantially vertical surface near the front of the cab 14 and a substantially horizontal surface near the rear of the cab. The degree of curvature of the top is determined so that the height difference 23 between the top of the cab 12 and the top of the trailer 17 is aerodynamically masked.

The retarder or door 24 extends horizontally, nearly the full width of the deflector, and extends vertically sufficiently to expose substantially all of the height difference 23 between the cab and the trailer when the door is opened.

As shown in FIG. 2, the door 24 is pivoted about a central axis 26 so as to divide the door into an upper half 28 and a lower half 30. A shaft 32 passes through this central axis. A door bracket 34 is attached to each inside edge of the door along the central axis and is fixed to the shaft so that rotation of the shaft will cause the door to operate. The shaft is rotatably supported on the deflector by bearings 36. It is to be understood that the bracket and bearing structure shown in FIG. 2 for the left side of the invention is to be duplicated on the right side of the invention.

In FIG. 3, one end of a crank or actuating arm 38 is rigidly attached to the shaft 32 between the shaft bearing and the door brackets so that movement of the crank will cause the shaft to rotate. The free end of the crank is attached to the piston end of an actuating mechanism or piston-cylinder 40. The other end of the actuating mechanism is attached to the roof of the tractor cab. As shown in FIG. 1, the lower half 30 of the door swings upward, while the upper half 28 swings downward. The leading or front edge 42 of the door is beveled, as is the corresponding edge 44 of the top part 18 to form a good air seal. Similarly, the trailing or rear edge 46 of the door is beveled to fit the bevel of corresponding edge 48 of the top part. In addition to forming a good air seal, the beveled edges provide a stop to prevent the door from opening in the direction opposite to that described. It is preferred to apply a slight closing pressure from the piston-cylinder 40 to bias the door closed against the beveled edges of the top part 18.

The aerodynamic forces operating on the door are in substantial equilibrium, tending to neither open nor close the door regardless of the position of the door. Therefore, the actuating arm or crank 38 can be relatively short and a fast-acting piston-cylinder 40 need undergo only a small displacement to fully open or close the door.

When the door 24 is in the closed position, as indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 3, the excess height 23 of the trailer over the cab, as shown in FIG. 1, is aerodynamically masked or shielded, thereby preventing minimum aerodynamic drag. When the door is open, as shown in FIG. 1 and by broken lines in FIG. 3, the height difference between the roof of the cab and the top of the trailer is exposed, providing maximum drag and an aerodynamic braking effect.

In the preferred embodiment, the actuating mechanism 40 is controlled or activated by the service brake control valve of the tractor and thus operates when the brake is appled. This is shown schematically in FIG. 3 by a conventional solenoid-actuated valve 50 whose position is controlled by a signal from the schematically shown service brake actuator or control 90, which indicates the desire for braking, carried by an electrical line 51. The valve can also be operated by an electrical line 52 coupled to a manual control 93 in the cab. When the brake is applied, the door 24 will open, maximizing the aerodynamic drag of the tractor-trailer combination; when the brake is deactivated, the door will close, minimizing the drag of the tractor-trailer combination. The actuating mechanism can be a pneumatic piston and cylinder directly energized by pressure from the service brake control valve. The activating mechanism can also be an electrically energized solenoid or a hydraulically operated piston controlled electronically in cooperation with the tractor brake electrical system. The actuating mechanism for the retarder can also be controlled by a conventional engine or drive train retarder 91 (shown schematically) or manually by the operator in the cab.

It will be appreciated that other variations and embodiments of the invention are also contemplated. These variations utilize the same principles and concepts as the preferred embodiment.