Crash attenuating underride guard
AssigneeVanguard National Trailer Corporation
InventorMark A. Roush
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aerodynamic underride guard comprising an angled front section located ahead of the trailer landing gear, a crash attenuating middle section located between the trailer landing gear and the trailer wheel assembly, and an angled rear section located in proximity to the trailer wheel assembly. The front angled section deflects air away from the non-aerodynamic features of the trailer landing gear. The rear angled section deflects air away from the non-aerodynamic features of the trailer wheel assembly, and the crash attenuating middle section can prevent vehicles from under riding the trailer.
Claims16
An over-the-road trailer comprising:
- a frame adapted for carrying cargo;
- a wheel assembly and a landing gear assembly, each connecting to the frame;
- the landing gear assembly including a non-retractable portion capable of moving a plurality of vertically retractable landing gear legs;
- a fairing interconnected with and located below the frame, the fairing having a bottom surface extending from about the wheel assembly to about the landing gear assembly;
- the plurality of vertically retractable landing gear legs extending through a plurality of apertures in the bottom surface of the fairing;
- the shape of each aperture substantially defined by a single vertically retractable landing gear leg.
The over-the-road trailer of 12 wherein the first sidewall has a cross-section with a first convex section, a second convex section, and a first concave section;
- the first concave section connecting between the first and second convex sections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.