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US 5,690,378 AGranted
Monocoque transport vehicle
OwnerR. Bruce Romesburginventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A monocoque transport trailer of the invention has a monocoque body shell of unitary construction including sides, top and floor. The trailer has wheel wells and provisions for doors and windows in the shell. The trailer is constructed using standard monocoque unitary molding principles and processes. Of particular importance is the attachment of independent axle and suspension equipment to the underside of the trailer by plate braces and specialty epoxies, so that support wheel assemblies are mounted in molded wheel wells. The monocoque construction provides sufficient strength and rigidity as that of an independent chassis or undercarriage platform.
Claims27
A chassisless trailer of monocoque design for chassislessly carrying a load comprising:
- At least two molded sections joined together to form a chassisless unitary monocoque shell for supporting the weight of said load, said monocoque shell having a shell floor on an underside thereof;
- At least two wheel wells in the monocoque shell for accommodating a plurality of wheels;
- A rear section attachable to the monocoque shell to enclose the rear of the monocoque shell;
- Axle mounting means for mounting at least one axle assembly to the underside of the shell floor corresponding to the wheel wells in the monocoque shell, and for bearing the weight of said load from the monocoque shell, said axle mounting means having a port support on the port side of the monocoque shell that is laterally separated from a starboard support on the starboard side of the monocoque shell, the starboard and port supports bearing the weight of said load without a member extending between the port and starboard supports that bears the weight of said load;
- and
- Axle means including suspension means mounted to the underside of the monocoque shell with the axle mounting means for rotatably supporting and for transferring weight thereon to said plurality of wheels;
- whereby the weight of said load is transferred chassislessly from the monocoque shell to the plurality of wheels.
4 more elements
A chassisless transport vehicle for transporting a load while chassislessly supporting the weight of said load, said vehicle comprising:
- floor structural means, having a chassisless structure, and a top side opposite a bottom side, for supporting the weight of said load and comprising:
- a floor inner skin laminate;
- a floor outer skin laminate;
- and
- a floor core in between said floor inner and outer skin laminates;
- axle means for rotatably supporting and transferring weight thereon to a plurality of wheels;
- and
- axle attachment means for directly transferring the weight of said load from the floor structural means to said axle means, and for connecting said axle means to said floor structural means, said axle attachment means having a port support on the port side of the floor structural means that is laterally separated from a starboard support on the starboard side of the floor structural means, the starboard and port supports bearing the weight of said load without a member extending between the port and starboard supports that bears the weight of said load;
- whereby the weight of said load is chassislessly transferred from the floor structural means to said plurality of wheels.
6 more elements
A chassisless transport vehicle for transporting a load while chassislessly supporting the weight of said load, said vehicle comprising:
- floor structural means, having a chassisless structure, and a top side opposite a bottom side, for supporting the weight of said load and comprising:
- a floor inner skin laminate;
- a floor outer skin laminate;
- and
- a floor core in between said floor inner and
- outer skin laminates;
- axle means for rotatably supporting and transferring weight thereon to a plurality of wheels;
- and
- axle attachment means for directly transferring the weight of said load from said floor structural means to said axle means, and for connecting said axle means to said floor structure means, said axle attachment means having a port support on the port side of the floor structural means that is laterally separated from a starboard support on the starboard side of the floor structural means, the starboard and port supports bearing the weight of said load without a member extending between the port and starboard supports that bears the weight of said load;
- means, connected along a length of and extending at an angle from said floor structural means, for providing a side wall to said transport vehicle, and comprising:
- a side wall inner skin laminate;
- a side wall outer skin laminate;
- and
- a side wall core in between and in contact with both said side wall inner and outer skin laminates;
- means, connected along a length of and extending at an angle from both said floor structural means and said side wall means, for providing a front wall to said transport vehicle, and comprising:
- a front wall inner skin laminate;
- a front wall outer skin laminate;
- and
- a front wall core in between and in contact with both said front wall inner and outer skin laminates;
- and
- means, parallel to said floor structural means, connected along a length of and extending at an angle from said side wall means and said front wall means, for providing a roof to said transport vehicle, and comprising:
- a roof inner skin laminate;
- a roof outer skin laminate;
- and
- a roof core between and in contact with both said roof inner and outer skin laminates;
- whereby the weight of said load is chassislessly transferred from said floor structural means to said plurality of wheels.
23 more elements
A chassisless transport vehicle for transporting a load while chassislessly carrying the weight of the load, said vehicle comprising:
- a left laminate section and a right laminate section joined together as a chassisless unitary monocoque structure, each laminate section being chassisless and having a concave shaped cross-section, and each of said left and right laminate section comprising:
- an inner skin laminate;
- an outer skin laminate;
- and
- a core in between said inner and outer skin laminates;
- axle means for rotatably supporting and transferring weight thereon to a plurality of wheels;
- and
- axle attachment means for directly transferring the weight of said load from said axle means to said chassisless unitary monocoque structure, and for connecting said axle means to said left and right laminate sections, said axle attachment means having a port support on the port side of the chassisless unitary monocoque structure that is laterally separated from a starboard support on the starboard side of the chassisless unitary monocoque structure, the starboard and port supports bearing the weight of said load without a member extending between the port and starboard supports that bears the weight of said load;
- whereby the weight of said load is chassislessly transferred from the chassisless unitary monocoque structure to said plurality of wheels.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.