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US 7,740,306 B2Granted
Stiffeners for utility trailer structural panels
AssigneeUtilicorp L.C.
InventorCarlos M. Ochoa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A utility trailer structural panel (10) of the skin-stiffener type has a skin (15) supported by uniformly spaced stiffeners or roof bows (39). Stiffeners or roof bows (39) are secured to panel skin (15) and extend outwardly from the associated panel skin (15). Each stiffener (39) has central flange (35) from which extend webs (36, 37) to mounting flanges (41, 42). Mounting flanges (41, 42) have free edges and respective beads or curls (44, 46) formed thereon for stabilizing of flanges (41, 42) to improve load transfer at the interface between the roof bows (39) and the skin (15).
Claims7
A utility trailer structural panel, comprising:
- a utility trailer panel skin having a generally planar configuration and defining an inner surface and an outer surface;
- a plurality of generally parallel elongate stiffeners each having a central flange spaced from said sheet skin portion and a web fixedly secured to the central flange and extending from each outer side of the central flange toward the sheet skin portion;
- each of said elongate stiffeners aligned to be substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of said utility trailer;
- a mounting flange fixedly secured to and extending laterally from said web, each of the mounting flanges having a free edge;
- and
- a tubular bead fixedly secured to and extending along a portion of the free edge of each mounting flange for reinforcing said stiffeners, wherein the tubular beads are each of an elliptical cross section with a minor axis that is at least about 20 percent of the major axis.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.