CA1168189A - Compacting vehicle body - Google Patents
Compacting vehicle bodyInfo
- Publication number
- CA1168189A CA1168189A CA000420860A CA420860A CA1168189A CA 1168189 A CA1168189 A CA 1168189A CA 000420860 A CA000420860 A CA 000420860A CA 420860 A CA420860 A CA 420860A CA 1168189 A CA1168189 A CA 1168189A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- vehicle body
- body according
- base
- sides
- elongated
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 15
- 239000011152 fibreglass Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000011120 plywood Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000002023 wood Substances 0.000 abstract description 4
- 239000010902 straw Substances 0.000 abstract description 2
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000005056 compaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
- B60P1/00—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Auxiliary Methods And Devices For Loading And Unloading (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A vehicle body for a wheeled vehicle includes a side hinged along its bottom edge and means to rotate the side from its vertical rest position inwards. Thus easily compressible materials such as straw or wood shavings may be packed more densely into the body, and thus more of the material may be shipped in a given volume.
A vehicle body for a wheeled vehicle includes a side hinged along its bottom edge and means to rotate the side from its vertical rest position inwards. Thus easily compressible materials such as straw or wood shavings may be packed more densely into the body, and thus more of the material may be shipped in a given volume.
Description
COMPACTING VEHICLE BODY
This invention relates to vehicle bodies and particularly to vehicle bodies designed to carry material which is easily compressi:ble.
It is of course more efficient to carry a full load ~han a partial load in a vehicle. Certain materials such as wood chips and stxaw have a low density if they are not compacted or settled, because of the large proportion of air space between the solid pieces. These materials are easy to compress mechanically, but conventional vehicles intended for carrying 10 such a load have no provision for compacting and increasing the ,' density of the load. Thus, such a vehicle will only be able to carry a limited load. This may result in higher shipping costs.
Compaction is of course used in garbage,trucks, as is illustrated for example in Canadian Patent 606,992. However, the compaction system used in garbage trucks is elaborate and expensive, and requires màny moving parts. Typicallyj such a system has a rear end loading area and a rear door which compresses the garbage loaded towards the front of the truck.
The rear door swings from the top edge of a strengthened frame and thus a heavy and relatively complicated structure is required. This invention provides a simpler, lighter construction for a vehicle body for use with easily compressible materials.
This invention provides a vehicle body for carrying compressible materials comprising an enclosure to contain compressible materials consisting of a rectangular base adapted to be carried on at least one wheel set and at least four upstanding sides attached to th~ base; at least one of such sies being hinged so that it is movable from a substantially vertical position towards the opposite side and means to apply a force to urge such hinged sides towards their opposite sides whereby the sides compress the material contained in the enclosure when such force is applied.
Two opposite sides may be hinged to apply the compressive force to the load. Further preferred features of the invention will be shown by the description which follows.
In the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a pexspective view of a vehicle body;
Figure 2 :is a cross~sectional view along its line A-A:
Figure 3 is a detailed view of an actuator-brace assembly;
and Eigure 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a hinge assembly.
Referring to the drawings, four sides 1, 2, 3, 4 of a vehicle body in the form of a trailer are attached to the rectangular base 5 of the trailer. The base 5 is supported in a conventional manner on road wheels 6. Two sides 1, 2 are hingedly connected to the base 5 by hinges 7, 8 along their bottom edges. The hinged sides may therefore he pivoted towards one another about their hinge axes. Outward movement of the sides beyond the vertical is prevented by stops 9 at the ends of the sides. The stops 9 are triangular and also provide bracing for the front and back ends of the trailer against the base.
Actuators 10 and braces 11 mounted along the top edges of the hinged sides 1, 2 connect the sides 1, 2 to each other, and support telescoping members attached to the hinged sides by hinge pins 12 with horizontal axes and plates 13. Each actuator 10 is mounted below a brace 11 and comprises two telescoping steel tubes containing a hydraulic jack 14. Each brace 11 is similar to an actuator 10 but does not contain a jack. The hydraulic jack 14 has a double acting cylinder and thus is operated to incline the sides 1, 2, inwards, and then move them outwards to the vertical position. The actuators 10 and braces 11 are attached to the tops of the sides 1, 2 and are longitudinally spaced so as to distribute the load on the sides approximately equally. Flow regulators may be inserted in hydraulic line 15 to the jacks 14 to ensure synchronization of the jack 14 in a manner in which is known to a person skilled in the art. The hydraulic lines are conveniently run along the underside of the top edges of the sides where they are not prone to damage by the load.
The braces 11 provide an extra stop for the actuators 10 and also help to protect the actuator 10 from damage from above, for instance, by front end loaders which may be used in loading the trailer.
A lock is located in each uppex corner of each side 1, 2 to lock the sides 1, 2 in the vertical position if this should prove necessary, for instance if there is a failure of the hydraulic system. This lock can consist of a hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical system (for instance, a sliding bolt) which would be known to a person skilled in the art.
The sides of the trailer may advantageously be of fiber-glass reinforced plywood, which is relatively strong and lightOThe hinged sides 1, 2 may be reinforced with steel strips 16 around their edges, with the actuator-brace mechanism 10, 11 being attached to the steel strip on the top edge. Likewise, each hinge may connect a steel strip along the bottom side edge and a top edge of the trailer base. The hinge may be of a standard piano hinge kind but of sufficiently sturdy construction to withstand the leverage exerted by the jacks 14. The hinge of the embodiment illustrated comprises a hinge pin 17 within a round tube 18 which is cut into longitudinal sliding portions.
Alternating portions are welded to a hinge support 19 on the bottom of the hinged side and the top 20 of the trailer tub section 21. A hinge support is a simple flat bar 21 welded into place.
In use, the trailer is filled with solid, compressible material (for instance, wood chips or straw) up to a level near the top of the trailer. This level will vary, of course, depending on the intended inward inclination of the sides, and will be chosen so that material is not spilled when thQ sides are inclined inwards (although a small amount of spillage may not be a serious problem). The hydraulic jacks 14 are then contracted to pivot the opposite sides 1, 2 back to their vertical position. The hinge pins at the ends of the actuators 10 and braces 11 allow relative movement between them and the sides. The extra space created by the compression of the load is then filled with more material. These steps may be repeated to achieve maximum loading of the trailer.
The pressure required to compact a load will of course depend on the nature of the load and the degree of compaction that is required. In tests performed on wood shavings (7 lb/cu.
ft. density, 44% humidity, lightly packed) a reduction in volume of about 35% to 40~ was obtained by the temporary application of a pressure of 160 lb/sq/ft.
The advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment.
Other embodiments will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claims.
This invention relates to vehicle bodies and particularly to vehicle bodies designed to carry material which is easily compressi:ble.
It is of course more efficient to carry a full load ~han a partial load in a vehicle. Certain materials such as wood chips and stxaw have a low density if they are not compacted or settled, because of the large proportion of air space between the solid pieces. These materials are easy to compress mechanically, but conventional vehicles intended for carrying 10 such a load have no provision for compacting and increasing the ,' density of the load. Thus, such a vehicle will only be able to carry a limited load. This may result in higher shipping costs.
Compaction is of course used in garbage,trucks, as is illustrated for example in Canadian Patent 606,992. However, the compaction system used in garbage trucks is elaborate and expensive, and requires màny moving parts. Typicallyj such a system has a rear end loading area and a rear door which compresses the garbage loaded towards the front of the truck.
The rear door swings from the top edge of a strengthened frame and thus a heavy and relatively complicated structure is required. This invention provides a simpler, lighter construction for a vehicle body for use with easily compressible materials.
This invention provides a vehicle body for carrying compressible materials comprising an enclosure to contain compressible materials consisting of a rectangular base adapted to be carried on at least one wheel set and at least four upstanding sides attached to th~ base; at least one of such sies being hinged so that it is movable from a substantially vertical position towards the opposite side and means to apply a force to urge such hinged sides towards their opposite sides whereby the sides compress the material contained in the enclosure when such force is applied.
Two opposite sides may be hinged to apply the compressive force to the load. Further preferred features of the invention will be shown by the description which follows.
In the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a pexspective view of a vehicle body;
Figure 2 :is a cross~sectional view along its line A-A:
Figure 3 is a detailed view of an actuator-brace assembly;
and Eigure 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a hinge assembly.
Referring to the drawings, four sides 1, 2, 3, 4 of a vehicle body in the form of a trailer are attached to the rectangular base 5 of the trailer. The base 5 is supported in a conventional manner on road wheels 6. Two sides 1, 2 are hingedly connected to the base 5 by hinges 7, 8 along their bottom edges. The hinged sides may therefore he pivoted towards one another about their hinge axes. Outward movement of the sides beyond the vertical is prevented by stops 9 at the ends of the sides. The stops 9 are triangular and also provide bracing for the front and back ends of the trailer against the base.
Actuators 10 and braces 11 mounted along the top edges of the hinged sides 1, 2 connect the sides 1, 2 to each other, and support telescoping members attached to the hinged sides by hinge pins 12 with horizontal axes and plates 13. Each actuator 10 is mounted below a brace 11 and comprises two telescoping steel tubes containing a hydraulic jack 14. Each brace 11 is similar to an actuator 10 but does not contain a jack. The hydraulic jack 14 has a double acting cylinder and thus is operated to incline the sides 1, 2, inwards, and then move them outwards to the vertical position. The actuators 10 and braces 11 are attached to the tops of the sides 1, 2 and are longitudinally spaced so as to distribute the load on the sides approximately equally. Flow regulators may be inserted in hydraulic line 15 to the jacks 14 to ensure synchronization of the jack 14 in a manner in which is known to a person skilled in the art. The hydraulic lines are conveniently run along the underside of the top edges of the sides where they are not prone to damage by the load.
The braces 11 provide an extra stop for the actuators 10 and also help to protect the actuator 10 from damage from above, for instance, by front end loaders which may be used in loading the trailer.
A lock is located in each uppex corner of each side 1, 2 to lock the sides 1, 2 in the vertical position if this should prove necessary, for instance if there is a failure of the hydraulic system. This lock can consist of a hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical system (for instance, a sliding bolt) which would be known to a person skilled in the art.
The sides of the trailer may advantageously be of fiber-glass reinforced plywood, which is relatively strong and lightOThe hinged sides 1, 2 may be reinforced with steel strips 16 around their edges, with the actuator-brace mechanism 10, 11 being attached to the steel strip on the top edge. Likewise, each hinge may connect a steel strip along the bottom side edge and a top edge of the trailer base. The hinge may be of a standard piano hinge kind but of sufficiently sturdy construction to withstand the leverage exerted by the jacks 14. The hinge of the embodiment illustrated comprises a hinge pin 17 within a round tube 18 which is cut into longitudinal sliding portions.
Alternating portions are welded to a hinge support 19 on the bottom of the hinged side and the top 20 of the trailer tub section 21. A hinge support is a simple flat bar 21 welded into place.
In use, the trailer is filled with solid, compressible material (for instance, wood chips or straw) up to a level near the top of the trailer. This level will vary, of course, depending on the intended inward inclination of the sides, and will be chosen so that material is not spilled when thQ sides are inclined inwards (although a small amount of spillage may not be a serious problem). The hydraulic jacks 14 are then contracted to pivot the opposite sides 1, 2 back to their vertical position. The hinge pins at the ends of the actuators 10 and braces 11 allow relative movement between them and the sides. The extra space created by the compression of the load is then filled with more material. These steps may be repeated to achieve maximum loading of the trailer.
The pressure required to compact a load will of course depend on the nature of the load and the degree of compaction that is required. In tests performed on wood shavings (7 lb/cu.
ft. density, 44% humidity, lightly packed) a reduction in volume of about 35% to 40~ was obtained by the temporary application of a pressure of 160 lb/sq/ft.
The advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment.
Other embodiments will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claims.
Claims (10)
1. A vehicle body for carrying compressibly material comprising a rectangular base adapted to be supported by road wheels, and four sides upstanding from the base to form an enclosure for compressible material, at least one of the sides being hingedly connected to the base so that it is movable from a substantially vertical position towards an opposite side, and means to urge the hinged side towards the opposite side to compress material in the enclosure.
2. A vehicle body according to claim 1 wherein two opposite sides are hingedly connected to the base so that they can be moved towards one another from substantially vertical positions.
3. A vehicle body according to claim 1 wherein the base and two opposite sides are elongated in the direction of travel of the vehicle and at least one elongated side is hingedly connected to the base.
4. A vehicle body according to claim 2 wherein the base and two opposite sides are elongated in the direction of travel of the vehicle and both elongated sides are hingedly connected to the base.
5. A vehicle body according to claim 1 wherein the means to urge the hinged side towards the opposite side comprises a hydraulic jack.
6. A vehicle body according to claim 1 wherein means is provided to urge the hinged side back to a substantially vertical position from a position in which the side is inclined toward the opposite side.
7. A vehicle body according to claim 1 wherein stop means are provided to retain the hinged side in a substantially vertical position against a force exerted from within the enclosure.
8. A vehicle body according to claim 5 wherein the hydraulic jack is mounted above the horizontal centerline of the hinged side.
9. A vehicle body according to claim 5 wherein the hydraulic jack is protected from impact from above by a brace assembly comprising telescoping members.
10. A vehicle body according to claim 1 wherein the hinged side is constructed of fiberglass reinforced plywood.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000420860A CA1168189A (en) | 1983-02-03 | 1983-02-03 | Compacting vehicle body |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000420860A CA1168189A (en) | 1983-02-03 | 1983-02-03 | Compacting vehicle body |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1168189A true CA1168189A (en) | 1984-05-29 |
Family
ID=4124485
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000420860A Expired CA1168189A (en) | 1983-02-03 | 1983-02-03 | Compacting vehicle body |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1168189A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6168371B1 (en) | 1995-04-25 | 2001-01-02 | Raymond Keith Foster | Method of loading a container |
-
1983
- 1983-02-03 CA CA000420860A patent/CA1168189A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6168371B1 (en) | 1995-04-25 | 2001-01-02 | Raymond Keith Foster | Method of loading a container |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |