# US 12,759,649 B2 · Aerodynamic trailer apparatus with skirt, top fairing, and aerodynamic mud flap > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,759,649 B2 - Document ID: US12759649B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/263,444 - Filed: 2021-02-01 - Published: 2024-03-14 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-02-01 - Assignees: Trailer Aerodynamics LLC - Applicants: Trailer Aerodynamics LLC - Inventors: Calvin Rhett Bradley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759649B2 ## CPC - B62D 35/001: {For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans} - B62D 25/188: {Mud-guard flaps for utility vehicles} - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) ## Abstract An apparatus (10) for a trailer (12) that has a trailer skirt (32,36) in which the majority of its outer surface length is oriented at an angle from 3 degrees to 7 degrees to the longitudinal direction and extends inboard in the lateral direction upon extension forward in the longitudinal direction. An aerodynamic mud flap (22) is present and configured for being located rearward of the trailer skirt (32,36) in the longitudinal direction. The aerodynamic mud flap (22) has a barrier section (24) that includes apertures therethrough that allow air and particles to flow during travel of the trailer (12). A top fairing (26) is present and is configured for being attached to a top surface of the trailer (12). The top fairing (26) is configured to be located closer to the rearward terminal end of the trailer (12) than to the forward terminal end of the trailer (12) in the longitudinal direction. The apparatus (10) also has a rib cover (74). ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for a trailer that has a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a height direction, comprising: a trailer skirt configured for attachment to the trailer, wherein the trailer skirt has an outer surface that has an outer surface length, wherein a majority of the outer surface length is oriented at an angle from 3 degrees to 7 degrees to the longitudinal direction such that the majority of the outer surface length extends inboard in the lateral direction upon extension forward in the longitudinal direction; an aerodynamic mud flap configured to be attached to the trailer, wherein the aerodynamic mud flap is configured for being located rearward of the trailer skirt in the longitudinal direction, wherein the aerodynamic mud flap has a barrier section that includes apertures therethrough that allow air and particles to flow through the barrier section during travel of the trailer; a top fairing configured for being attached to a top surface of the trailer, wherein the top fairing is configured to be located closer to a rearward terminal end of the trailer than to a forward terminal end of the trailer in the longitudinal direction; and a rib cover that is carried by the trailer, wherein the rib cover is located higher than a bottom edge of the trailer skirt in the height direction, and wherein the rib cover is located outboard from the trailer skirt in the lateral direction, wherein the trailer has a cross-member that has a first portion covered by the rib cover and has a second portion that is uncovered and exposed to wind when the trailer is moving; wherein the trailer has a trailer length in the longitudinal direction that is at least 48 feet, wherein the trailer has a longitudinal midpoint that is located in the longitudinal direction, and wherein a majority of the outer surface length is located rearward of the longitudinal midpoint in the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the top fairing does not extend rearward of the rearward terminal end of the trailer in the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the top fairing has a leading airflow surface that is configured to be oriented within an angular range from 5 degrees to 14 degrees to the top surface of the trailer; wherein the angular range is oriented with respect to the top surface of the trailer such that arms of the angular range are located rearward from a vertex of the angular range in the longitudinal direction; a tailing airflow surface that engages the leading airflow surface at a meeting location, wherein the tailing airflow surface is curved, wherein a common tangent line of the tailing airflow surface and the leading airflow surface is at the meeting location; and a frame that is configured to engage the top surface of the trailer to which the top fairing is configured to be attached. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the tailing airflow surface has a constant radius from the meeting location to a tailing airflow surface terminal end such that the entire tailing airflow surface has a single radius. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the barrier section including a plurality of horizontal louvers, each horizontal louver forming an elongate member having a width extending in the lateral direction, where the plurality of horizontal louvers are spaced apart in the height direction in the form of an array, the spacing between adjacent horizontal louvers within the plurality of horizontal louvers increasing as the plurality of horizontal louvers extend towards a top of the mud flap in the height direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the plurality of horizontal louvers all have upper horizontal louver surfaces that are all arranged at non-zero angles to the longitudinal direction, and wherein the plurality of horizontal louvers all have lower horizontal louver surfaces that are all arranged at non-zero angles to the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the trailer skirt has an overall length in the longitudinal direction and an overall height in the height direction that has an overall length/overall height ratio that is 6 or less. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the overall length/overall height ratio of the trailer skirt is 5 or less. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the trailer length is 53 feet. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the angle that the majority of the outer surface length is oriented to the longitudinal direction is from 5 degrees to 6 degrees. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the trailer length extends in the longitudinal direction from the forward terminal end to the rearward terminal end, wherein a 30% point of the trailer is at a location that is distanced 30% of the trailer length from the forward terminal end in the longitudinal direction; wherein no portion of the trailer skirt is located forward of the 30% point in the longitudinal direction, wherein the trailer has a bogie assembly that has a plurality of tires, and wherein the entire trailer skirt is configured for being located forward of all of the plurality of tires of the bogie assembly in the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the overall length of the trailer skirt is 25% or less of the trailer length. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein there are no further skirts configured for attachment to the trailer forward of the trailer skirt in the longitudinal direction that are on the same side of the trailer as the trailer skirt. ### Claim 14 An apparatus for a trailer that has a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a height direction, the apparatus comprising: a trailer skirt configured for attachment to the trailer, wherein the trailer skirt has an outer surface that has an outer surface length, wherein the trailer skirt is configured to be attached to the trailer such that: a majority of the outer surface length is oriented at an angle from 3 degrees to 7 degrees to the longitudinal direction such that the majority of the outer surface length extends inboard in the lateral direction upon extension forward in the longitudinal direction, and the majority of the outer surface length is located rearward of a longitudinal midpoint of the trailer in the longitudinal direction; a mud flap configured to be attached to the trailer, wherein the aerodynamic mud flap is configured for being located rearward of the trailer skirt in the longitudinal direction; and a rib cover that is configured to be carried by the trailer, wherein, when the rib cover is carried by the trailer and the trailer skirt is attached to the trailer: the rib cover is located higher than a bottom edge of the trailer skirt in the height direction, the rib cover is located outboard from the trailer skirt in the lateral direction, and the rib cover covers a portion of a cross member of the trailer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus as set forth in claim 14, further comprising a top fairing configured for being attached to a top surface of the trailer, wherein the top fairing is configured to be located closer to a rearward terminal end of the trailer than to a forward terminal end of the trailer in the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein the mud flap has a barrier section that includes apertures therethrough that are configured to allow air and particles to flow through the barrier section during travel of the trailer. ### Claim 17 An apparatus for a trailer that includes a plurality of ribs extending in a lateral direction across a lower surface of the trailer, the apparatus comprising: a rib cover that includes an outer edge, an inner edge, and a rib cover body extending therebetween, wherein the outer edge is configured to extend in a longitudinal direction along a side edge of the trailer, and wherein the rib cover body is configured to extend in the lateral direction to cover a portion of at least one rib of the plurality of ribs; and a trailer skirt that includes an upper edge, a lower edge, and a trailer skirt body extending therebetween, wherein the upper edge of the trailer skirt is configured to extend along the inner edge of the rib cover, and wherein the trailer skirt body is configured to extend along a height direction away from the lower surface of the trailer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the rib cover is integrally formed with the trailer skirt. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the trailer skirt has a substantially rectangular shape, and the rib cover has a substantially triangular shape. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein an angle between the inner edge of the rib cover and the outer edge of the rib cover is in a range between approximately 3 degrees and approximately 7 degrees.