A resilient strut adapted to secure an aerodynamic skirt to a trailer is provided, the aerodynamic skirt comprising a skirt panel including a front portion and a rear portion adapted to be substantially longitudinally mounted to the trailer, the skirt panel being adapted to move away from the aerody
A resilient strut adapted to secure an aerodynamic skirt to a trailer is provided, the aerodynamic skirt comprising a skirt panel including a front portion and a rear portion adapted to be substantially longitudinally mounted to the trailer, the skirt panel being adapted to move away from the aerodynamic configuration when contacting a foreign object and to recover its aerodynamic configuration thereafter, the resilient strut includes a shape variation adapted to change the mechanical strength thereof and also adapted to sustain an elastic deformation allowing the resilient strut to bend when a load is applied to the resilient strut when the skirt panel moves away from the aerodynamic configuration and to self-recover its original shape when the load is removed. A kit of resilient struts, a method thereof and a trailer equipped with same are also provided.
대표청구항▼
1. A resilient strut adapted to secure an aerodynamic skirt to a trailer, the aerodynamic skirt being adapted to be substantially longitudinally mounted to the trailer, the aerodynamic skirt comprising a skirt panel including a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being adapted to be
1. A resilient strut adapted to secure an aerodynamic skirt to a trailer, the aerodynamic skirt being adapted to be substantially longitudinally mounted to the trailer, the aerodynamic skirt comprising a skirt panel including a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being adapted to be mounted toward a forward portion of the trailer and the rear portion being adapted to be mounted toward a rear portion of the trailer in a configuration reducing air drag about the trailer, the skirt panel being adapted to move away from the configuration reducing air drag about the trailer when contacting a foreign object and to recover the configuration reducing air drag about the trailer thereafter,the resilient strut being adapted to sustain an elastic deformation when a load is applied to the resilient strut when the skirt panel moves away from the configuration reducing air drag about the trailer and to self-recover the resilient strut original shape when the load is removed, the resilient strut including a longitudinal shape variation adapted to change a mechanical strength of the resilient strut and influence a stiffness of the resilient strut. 2. The resilient strut of claim 1, wherein the resilient strut defines a “U” shaped section. 3. The resilient strut of claim 1, wherein the resilient strut has a substantially rectangular section including a concave portion adapted to increase the stiffness of the resilient strut. 4. The resilient strut of claim 3, wherein the concave portion is uneven along the resilient strut. 5. The resilient strut of claim 1, wherein the resilient strut includes an embossed portion thereon. 6. The resilient strut of claim 1, wherein the resilient strut is made of a continuous member. 7. The resilient strut of claim 1, wherein the trailer connecting portion and the skirt connecting portion are angularly extending from respective ends of the intermediate portion. 8. The resilient strut of claim 1, wherein the resilient strut includes two opposite parallel wall portions thereof. 9. The resilient strut of claim 1, wherein the resilient strut includes a composite material. 10. The resilient strut of claim 1, wherein the resilient strut is adapted to sustain the load applied thereon without bending until the resilient strut buckles when a stronger load is applied thereon. 11. A resilient aerodynamic skirt assembly adapted to be mounted on a trailer, said skirt assembly comprising: first and second resilient skirts for reducing aerodynamic drag, one for mounting proximate each longitudinal side of the trailer, wherein each said resilient skirt is elastically deformable, such that each said skirt is configured to sustain temporary deformation from an original position as a result of encountering an object without breaking, and thereafter recover the original position when unloaded, wherein each said skirt includes a rearward portion and a forward portion, the rearward portions of the respective skirts configured to be generally parallel to one another when attached to the trailer;a plurality of non-metallic resilient supports for each said resilient skirt, wherein each said resilient support is attachable to the respective resilient skirt, wherein the resilient supports being adapted to sustain an elastic deformation when a load is applied to the resilient strut when the skirt panel moves away from the original position and to self-recover the original position when the load is removed, the resilient support including a shape defined therein adapted to influence the stiffness of the resilient support. 12. The resilient aerodynamic skirt assembly of claim 11, wherein the resilient support defines a “U” shaped section. 13. The resilient aerodynamic skirt assembly of claim 11, wherein the resilient support has a substantially rectangular section including a concave portion adapted to increase the stiffness of the resilient strut. 14. The resilient aerodynamic skirt assembly of claim 13, wherein the concave portion is uneven along the resilient support. 15. The resilient aerodynamic skirt assembly of claim 11, wherein the resilient support includes an embossed portion thereon. 16. The resilient aerodynamic skirt assembly of claim 11, wherein the resilient support is made of a continuous member. 17. An aerodynamic skirt assembly adapted to be mounted to an underside of a trailer and reduce air drag by the trailer, the aerodynamic skirt assembly comprising: a skirt panel including a front portion and a rear portion, said skirt panel being adapted to be mounted to the underside of the trailer along the length of a trailer;a plurality of resilient struts, at least some of the plurality of resilient struts including a first end adapted to be mounted to the trailer; anda second end adapted to be secured to the skirt panel,the skirt panel being characterized in that the skirt panel can sustain substantial elastic deformation when impacted by a foreign object and to return substantially to a skirt panel original position before being elastically deformed when the skirt panel is no longer being impacted by the foreign object;the resilient strut being characterized in that the resilient strut includes a shape variation adapted to effect the flexibility of the resilient strut while the resilient strut can sustain substantial elastic deformation when the skirt panel is under stress by a foreign object and to return substantially to a resilient strut original position before being elastically deformed when the skirt panel is no longer under stress by the foreign object. 18. The aerodynamic skirt assembly of claim 17, wherein the skirt panel comprises composite material. 19. The aerodynamic skirt assembly of claim 17, wherein the skirt panel comprises fiber reinforced polypropylene. 20. The aerodynamic skirt assembly of claim 17, wherein the skirt panel comprises a polypropylene component and a woven component.
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