JPH0684156B2 - Light weight front vehicle frame assembly for semi-trailer and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to semitrailers, and more particularly to front vehicle frame and upper coupler assemblies therefor.

<Prior Art> Semi-trailers are becoming lighter in weight for the purpose of increasing fuel costs due to rising natural resources such as depletion of oil, and improving profitability of the truck transportation industry.
Lightweight semi-trailers not only improve the fuel efficiency of the tractor-trailer complex, but also increase the loading capacity of the semi-trailer within the limits of its total weight.

In the manufacture of van-type semi-trailers, for example walls and roofs where aluminum is extensively used, the floor frame is US Pat. No. 3,990,720 issued to Robert B. Schwartz on November 9, 1976. So far, it has been made of steel. The front car frame assembly is predominantly made from tempered aluminum (the term "aluminum" shall always be used to include aluminum alloys, especially the alloy commonly referred to herein as 6061). Then, it was found that the weight can be reduced by 32% compared to an equivalent steel product, and the product can be manufactured with essentially the same strength.

Tempered aluminum was used to give the required strength in the assembly, but the use of tempered aluminum is problematic, because for most parts the parts of the assembly are welded together. Because there is. The welded portion exposed to the high temperature during welding loses the effect of tempering, that is, strength. Since it is not practical to temper the entire assembly after manufacturing to reproduce the tempering of the welded part, the use of a specially constructed tempered aluminum extrusion to fabricate the assembly It has been found that most welds in a solid can be placed substantially along the neutral axis to minimize bend stress in the weld. As a result, by arranging the welds in this way, their strength is sufficient, without tempering the welds.

<Object and Structure of the Invention> The present invention relates to a lightweight front vehicle frame assembly and an upper coupler assembly which is a sub-assembly thereof, both of which are intended to be incorporated in a semi-trailer. Both assemblies are primarily tempered aluminum weldments. The upper coupler assembly includes a tempered aluminum extrusion having a flat substrate and first and second pairs of parallel flanges extending generally perpendicularly from the substrate. First and second U-shaped tempered aluminum channels are welded to the first and second pairs of flanges, respectively, to form a hollow flash having a generally square cross section. These welds are substantially on the neutral axis of the assembly, minimizing bending stress on the welds. A third U-shaped tempered aluminum channel is located between the first and second channels, along which they (first and second channels) face each other along their inclined edges. Being welded, the weld is oriented toward the neutral axis of the assembly to reduce bending stress on the weld.

The present invention also provides a method of making an upper coupler assembly, the method comprising providing a folded aluminum extrusion having a substrate and a first and a second pair of parallel flanges extending substantially vertically from the substrate. For opening a flat substrate and then tempering the extruded body, the first and second U-shaped tempered aluminum channel members having first and second U-shaped tempered aluminum channel members are provided. Hollow burrs welded to two pairs of flanges, each having a generally rectangular cross section, and having welds that are located substantially on the neutral axis of the assembly and that minimize bending stress on the bond. Form. A third U-shaped tempered aluminum channel is placed between the first and second channels and welded to them along the opposite sloping edges of the first and second channels. The weld is oriented toward the neutral axis of the assembly to reduce bending stress on the weld.

It is a first object of the present invention to provide a lightweight front car frame assembly for a semi-trailer. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a fabrication method that properly positions the weld to reduce or minimize bending stress on the weld. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

<Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment> FIG. 1 will be described. Reference number 20 is a tandem axle wheel assembly
22 shows a van type semi-trailer held by 22 and landing gear 24. The present invention will be described herein with respect to a vehicle frame structure for a semi-trailer 20, and more particularly to a front vehicle frame assembly 26 including a kingpin 28 of a structure into which the fifth wheel of a tractor is fitted.

Now, FIGS. 2 to 5 will be described. It will be appreciated that the front chassis assembly 26 includes an upper coupler assembly or subassembly 30, which has a pair of tempered aluminum end plates 32 welded thereto. There is elongated U-shaped channel steel that is fastened to the terminal plate 32 by means of a tack, and is used as a bumper or front car frame member 34.
Working as. The bumper 34 is also tacked to a floor plate 36 made of tempered aluminum, which is welded at 38 to the upper coupler assembly 30. Below the plate 36, between the upper coupler assembly 30 and the bumper 34 is a U-shaped tempered aluminum channel 40 which is welded to the adjacent side of the upper coupler assembly 30 and the underside of the floor plate 36. Besides acting as a strengthening and stiffening member, it acts as a sliding plate when the semitrailer 20 is placed on the fifth wheel of the tractor. Similarly, it acts as a reinforcement and reinforcement material from the corners formed by the connection between the channel 40 and the upper coupler assembly 30 to the bumper.
There is a pair of U-shaped tempered aluminum channels that extend outwardly to 34 opposite corners, best shown in FIG. The channel 42 is welded to the underside of the plate 36 and to the channel 40 and the upper coupler assembly 30.

Further reinforcement and strengthening of the channel 40 is performed on the lower side of the channel 40 and the plate 36.
Provided by a pair of T-beams 44 (of FIG. 5) welded to each other.

4, 9, and 10 will now be described. Upper coupler assembly 30
Is a weldment including a tempered aluminum extrudate 46 having a flat substrate 48 and first and second pairs of parallel flanges extending generally vertically from the substrate 48, 50 and 52, respectively. Let's do it. The U-shaped tempered aluminum channel 56 welded to the flange 50 at 54 is an extruded body 46.
Together, they form a hollow flash having a generally square cross section.
Similarly, U-shaped tempered aluminum channel 58 is flanged.
Welded 60 to 52 to form a hollow flash with extruded body 46 having a generally square cross section. In this respect, with channel 56
58 has slanted edges 62 and 64, respectively,
Note that the two are facing each other or adjacent to each other.

There is a shallow U-shaped tempered aluminum channel 66 spanning the space between the channels 56 and 58, which engages the beveled edges 62 and 64 and is welded along it at 68 and 70 (Fig. 6). ing. Weld points 68 and 70 are shown in Figure 5
Upper coupler assembly 3 formed by 6, 58 and 66
It is below the zero surface and is also oriented toward the neutral axis of the upper coupler assembly.

By providing the flanges 50 and 52, the welding point 54 and
It is worth noting that it is possible to place the 60 substantially along the neutral axis of the upper coupler assembly 30.

The upper coupler assembly further includes a plurality of reinforcing and stiffening plates 72, which are welded to the extrudate 46 and the channels 56 and 58. These plates are kingpins, as best shown in FIG.
28 symmetrically arranged on both sides.

Turning to FIGS. 6, 9 and 10, the kingpin 28 is secured to the upper coupler assembly 30 by a tempered aluminum block 74 which is between the beams formed by the channels 56 and 58. , And is located in the middle of the extruded body 46, and
It is welded to the extruded body 46 and the channel members 56 and 58 in FIG. A cylindrical cavity 78 extends from the substrate 48 into the block 74 and is adapted to receive the flange portion 80 of the kingpin 28. Block 74 has a plurality of holes or openings 82 extending therethrough to provide a plurality of openings in flange 80 of kingpin 28.
Corresponding to 84, it is provided and receives a plurality of bolts 86. The bolt 86 is threadedly engaged with a plurality of nuts 88, which are welded to a steel plate 90 located on the top of the block 74, 90 having flanges 92 extending on both sides thereof, so that the steel plate 90 is of the block 74. Held on top. A film of dielectric material is also provided between the aluminum block 74, the kingpin 28 and the steel plate 90, all of which are made of steel to prevent electrochemical action between dissimilar metals.

In order to minimize the number of welds required to make the upper coupler assembly 30 and to place most of the welds as close to the neutral bending axis of the upper coupler assembly 30, the extrudate 46
Otherwise, the extruded body is first formed with the folded structure shown in FIG. 7 because the extruded body is too large compared to currently available extruders. After molding the extruded body 46 with the folded structure, the extruded body 46 is opened and the substrate 48 has a flat structure as shown in FIG. The extruded body 46 is then tempered to T-6 hardness.
Subsequent to the tempering of the extruded body 46, the channels 56 and 58 are welded to the flanges 50 and 52, and the other completions of the assembly 30 described above are followed to produce the upper coupler assembly 30. Complete.

In this regard, the structure and method of fabrication of the upper coupler assembly 30 is such that all major weld locations are along or oriented along the neutral axis of the assembly 30 to minimize or reduce bending stress on the weld. A tempered aluminum weldment that is arranged around, where the aluminum at the weld and at the weld is W or uncured temper, which is highly desirable because the aluminum at that point has minimal strength. Is.

While only a single aspect of the invention has been disclosed, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined from the appended claims in accordance with the prior art.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a semi-trailer having a front vehicle frame assembly embodying features of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an isometric view taken along line 2-2 showing the features of the front car frame of the semitrailer. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the front vehicle frame assembly shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. FIG. 6 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a folded aluminum extrusion molded body. FIG. 8 shows the extruded body shown in FIG. 7 after being opened. FIG. 9 is an exploded isometric view of the upper coupler subassembly. FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 when the assembly is advanced. 20 …… Van type semi-trailer 22 …… Tandem axle wheel assembly 24 …… Landing device, 26 …… Front chassis assembly 28 …… King pin, 30 …… Upper coupler assembly 32 …… Tempered aluminum terminal plate 34… … Bumper or front car frame member (steel) 36 …… Floor plate, 38 …… Welding point 40, 42 …… U-shaped tempered aluminum channel 44 …… T-burr 46 …… Tempered aluminum extrusion 48… … Substrate, 50 …… First parallel flange 52 …… Second parallel flange, 54 …… Welding point 56,58 …… U-shaped tempered aluminum channel 60 …… Welding point, 62,64 …… Sloped edge 66 …… U-shaped tempered aluminum channel 68, 70 …… Welding point, 72 …… Reinforcement, strengthening plate 74 …… Tempered aluminum block 76 …… Welding point, 78 …… Cylindrical cavity 80 …… King pin 28 Flange part 82 …… Aperture, 84 …… Aperture 86 …… Bolt, 8 8 …… Nut 90 …… Steel plate, 92 …… Flange.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A tempered aluminum extrusion having a flat substrate and first and second pairs of parallel flanges extending substantially vertically from the substrate, welded to the first pair of flanges to provide a generally rectangular cross section. A first U-shaped tempered aluminum channel profile forming a hollow burr having, and a second U-shaped tempered aluminum channel groove welded to the second pair of flanges to form a hollow beam having a substantially rectangular cross section. Having a profile, the weld between the flange and the channel being located substantially on the neutral axis of the light weight upper coupler assembly to minimize bending stress on the weld. A light weight upper coupler assembly for semi-trailers. 2. A third groove, wherein the first and second channels have opposite beveled edges and are welded to the first and second channels with their opposing beveled edges. U-shaped tempered aluminum channel profile, wherein the weld is oriented toward the neutral axis of the light weight upper coupler assembly to reduce bending stress on the weld. The assembly according to claim 1. 3. The assembly of claim 2 including a kingpin and a device for securing the kingpin to the extrudate. 4. A tempered aluminum block that is welded to the extruded body and channel and is positioned between the first and second pairs of flanges in the fixture, the substrate to the block. A cavity for accommodating the kingpin, a steel plate to which a plurality of nuts are fixed, the plate being arranged between the block and a third channel, and the side faces of the block facing each other. A plurality of openings in the block aligned with the nut, and a plurality of bolts that fit into the kingpins and extend into the openings and screw into the nuts. An assembly according to claim 3 including: 5. A light weight upper coupler assembly for a semi-trailer, comprising: a tempered aluminum extruded body having a flat substrate and first and second pairs of parallel flanges extending substantially vertically from the substrate. A first U-shaped tempered aluminum channel profile welded to a pair of flanges, a second U-shaped tempered aluminum channel profile welded to the second pair of flanges, and the flange and channel The weld to and from the bar is located substantially on the neutral axis of the assembly to minimize bending stresses on the weld and the first and second channels are sloping edges to the abutment. A tempered aluminum block each welded to the extruded body and the channel and located between the first and second pairs of flanges, and It has a plurality of openings. A cavity for receiving a kingpin extending into the block, a kingpin disposed in the cavity, and the kingpin having a plurality of openings, and a plurality of nuts aligned with the openings of the block are welded together. A steel plate, which is disposed on the block and has a pair of flanges that engage opposite sides of the block, extending through the kingpin and the opening in the block. A plurality of bolts that mesh with nuts and screws to secure the kingpin in its position in the cavity, and a third located between the first and second channel members and above the outer peripheral block and the steel plate. U-tempered aluminum channel, and thus the third channel is welded to the first and second channels along their adjacent beveled edges, As a result, the weld Lightweight upper coupler assembly for a semitrailer, characterized in that it comprises a and is disposed toward the neutral axis of the assembly by reducing the bending stress on the welds. 6. A light weight front side vehicle frame assembly for a semi-trailer, comprising: a tempered aluminum extruded body having a flat substrate and first and second pairs of parallel flanges extending substantially vertically from the substrate. A first U-shaped tempered aluminum channel profile welded to a pair of flanges to form a hollow beam having a generally rectangular cross section, a hollow beam having a generally rectangular cross section welded to the second pair of flanges A second U-shaped tempered aluminum channel forming a groove, and the weld between the flange and the channel is located substantially on the neutral axis of the assembly and bends to the weld. The stress is minimal and the first and second channels have opposite beveled edges and are welded to the first and second channels along their opposite beveled edges. The third U-shaped grilled back Aluminium channel, and thus the weld is located towards the neutral axis of the assembly, reducing bending stress on the weld, at the opposite end of the extrusion and channel. Welded first
And a second tempered aluminum end plate, a U-shaped steel bumper secured to the end plate, a tempered aluminum floor plate welded to the first and second channel members and secured to the bumper, A fourth U-shaped tempered aluminum channel member, which is disposed between the first channel member and the bumper and is welded to the first channel member and the floor plate, the fourth channel member and the fourth channel member. Fifth U-shaped tempered aluminum channel, which extends from a first corner made of one channel to one inner corner of the bumper and is welded to the floor plate and the fourth channel. And a second corner extending from the second corner formed by the fourth channel and the first channel toward the other inner corner of the bumper and welded to the floor plate and the fourth channel. 6 U-shaped tempered aluminum channel profile, Light weight front vehicle frame assembly for a trailer. 7. The assembly of claim 6 including a kingpin and a device for securing the kingpin to the extrudate. 8. A method of manufacturing a light weight upper coupler assembly for a semi-trailer, the method comprising manufacturing a folded aluminum extrusion having a substrate and first and second pairs of parallel flanges extending substantially vertically from the substrate. Then, the extruded body is opened to form a flat substrate, the opened extruded body is tempered, and a first U-shaped tempered aluminum channel is welded to the first pair of flanges to form a substantially rectangular shape. A second U-shape on the second pair of flanges, forming a hollow burr having a cross section and using a weld substantially disposed on the neutral axis of the assembly to minimize bending stress on the weld. Welded tempered aluminum channel profiles form a hollow beam with a generally square cross section and minimize the bending stress on the weld using the weld located substantially on the neutral axis of the assembly. And first and second groove shapes Welding a third U-tempered aluminum channel profile to the first and second channel profiles along opposite sloped edges of the weld to reduce the bending stress on the weld. A method for manufacturing a light weight upper coupler assembly for a semi-trailer, which comprises the steps of disposing the assembly toward a neutral axis. 9. A tempered aluminum block is placed between the first and second channels and the block is welded to the extrusion and the first and second channels and from the substrate. 9. The method of claim 8 also including the steps of forming a kingpin receiving cavity extending into the block.