Deck assembly for transporter vehicle
AssigneeJerr-Dan Corporation
InventorSanjeev Kuriakose
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A deck assembly for use with a transporter vehicle is provided. The deck assembly comprises a deck portion formed of a first material and a sub-structure formed of a second material. The deck assembly further comprises an interface plate formed disposed between the deck portion and sub-structure to facilitate coupling the deck portion to the sub-structure and/or to compensate for differences in thermal expansion that may exist between the deck portion and the sub-structure.
Claims22
A deck assembly for a transporter vehicle, the deck assembly comprising:
- a deck portion defining a deck surface and formed of a first material;
- a sub-structure including a first support beam having a length and formed of a second material;
- an interface portion directly coupled to the first supported beam using a mechanical fastener passing through a first opening in the support beam and a second opening in the interface portion and separating the deck portion from the sub-structure;
- and
- wherein the deck portion is directly coupled to the interface portion using a welding operation, wherein the first material has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is different than a coefficient of thermal expansion for the second material and wherein the opening in the interface portion is elongated in a longitudinal direction for allowing the interface portion to expand relative to the sub-structure.
A transporter vehicle comprising:
- a chassis;
- a cab supported by the chassis;
- a deck assembly supported by the chassis and configured to be tilted relative to the chassis, the deck assembly comprising:
- a sub-structure including a first longitudinally extending support beam having an upper surface, a length and formed of a first material;
- an interface plate supported at the upper surface and coupled along the length of the first support beam, the interface plate being formed of a second material;
- and
- a deck portion welded to the interface plate and formed of the second material,
- wherein the first material has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than a coefficient of thermal expansion for the second material.
A method of assembling a deck assembly for a transporter vehicle comprising:
- providing a sub-structure including at least one support beam having an upper surface, a length and formed of a first material;
- covering the upper surface with an interface plate formed of a second material;
- coupling the interface plate to the support beam;
- and
- welding a deck portion to the interface plate,
- wherein the first material has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than a coefficient of thermal expansion for the second material.
A carrier configured to transport a vehicle, the carrier comprising:
- a chassis;
- a deck supported by the chassis, the desk comprising:
- at least one support beam having an upper surface and extending in a longitudinal direction, the at least one support being formed of a first material having a first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- at least one interface member coupled to the at least one support beam and at least partially covering the upper surface, the at least one interface member being formed of a second material having a second coefficent of thermal expansion that is greater than the first coefficient of thermal expansion;
- and
- a plurality of deck planks welded to the interface member and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the at least one support beam, the plurality of deck planks being form of a third material having a third coefficient of thermal expansion that is substantially the same as the second coefficient of thermal expansion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.