Browse Topic: Trailers
The truck industry's primary focus is on global transportation, necessitating the efficient movement of goods and materials. There are many types of trucks designed for different purposes, and one of the most significant ones is the tractor trailer which offers great flexibility and can carry heavy loads. The tractor-trailer assembly unit consists of a complex integration of mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic connections, each serving a critical role in the overall functionality and performance of the vehicle. The disconnection of electrical interconnections between the truck trailer and tractor is crucial to prevent damage to the connectors within the wiring harness, which can lead to hazardous situations on the road. The tractor unit serves as the power source, while the trailer is responsible for carrying cargo, with the wiring harness being a crucial yet vulnerable component. When the trailer disengages from the fifth wheel coupling, it is vital to ensure that the electrical
Sensata Technologies' booth at this year's IAA Transportation tradeshow included two of the company's Precor radar sensors. The PreView STA79 is a heavy-duty vehicle side-monitoring system launched in May 2024 and designed to comply with Europe-wide blind spot monitoring legislation introduced in June 2024. The PreView Sentry 79 is a front- and rear-monitoring system. Both systems operate on the 79-GHz band as the nomenclature suggests. PreView STA79 can cover up to three vehicle zones: a configurable center zone, which can monitor the length of the vehicle, and two further zones that can be independently set to align with individual customer needs. The system offers a 180-degree field of view to eliminate blind spots along the vehicle sides and a built-in measurement unit that will increase the alert level when turning toward an object even when the turn indicator is not used. The system also features trailer mitigation to reduce false positive alerts on the trailer when turning. The
This SAE Recommended Practice provides instructions and test procedures for measuring air consumption of air braked vehicles equipped with Antilock Brake Systems (ABS) used on highways
This document establishes minimum performance criteria at GCWR and calculation methodology to determine tow-vehicle TWR for passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, and trucks. This includes all vehicles up to 14000 pounds GVWR
The Kenworth booth at the 2024 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Las Vegas garnered much interest thanks to the reveal of its futuristic-looking SuperTruck 2. Developed over a six-year period as part of the DOE's SuperTruck program, the demonstrator vehicle improved freight efficiency by up to 136% compared to the 2009 T660 model. The team improved fuel efficiency up to 12.8 mpg and reduced the combination weight by about 7,100 lb (3,220 kg) - 4,150 lb (1,880 kg) from the tractor and 2,950 lb (1,340 kg) from the trailer. The design led to a 48% reduction in drag compared to Kenworth's baseline vehicle. A Paccar MX-11 diesel engine, rated at 455 hp (339 kW), is paired with a Paccar TX-12 automated transmission and a 48-volt electric generator, creating a mild hybrid system to operate accessories and provide engine-off “hoteling.” The 48V generator also powers the exhaust heater in an in-house-developed close coupled aftertreatment system that demonstrated CARB 2027 ultra-low
Rooftop solar panels will soon power about 90% of PFG's Gilroy, California, operations, the starting point for cold food deliveries. The vehicles getting the various edibles and food-related products from the warehouse to restaurants, schools, hotels and other customers include new battery-electric Class 8 trucks that mate to trailers fitted with zero-emission transport refrigeration units (TRUs). “Our Gilroy, California, location is the pilot for how we intend to develop sustainable distribution centers,” said Jeff Williamson, senior vice president of operations for Richmond, Virginia-headquartered Performance Food Group (PFG). Williamson and others were recently interviewed by Truck & Off-Highway Engineering following an Earth Day open house at the Gilroy site
This SAE Recommended Practice establishes methods to determine grade parking performance with respect to: a Ability of the parking brake system to lock the braked wheels. b The trailer holding or sliding on the grade, fully loaded, or unloaded. c Applied manual effort. d Unburnished or burnished brake lining friction conditions. e Down and upgrade directions
This SAE Recommended Practice identifies the minimum truck tractor electrical power output of the stop lamp and ABS (antilock brake system) circuits measured at the primary SAE J560 tractor trailer interface connector(s
This SAE Recommended Practice provides uniform procedures and minimum performance requirements for fatigue testing ferrous and aluminum wheels intended for normal highway service on travel, camping, and boat and light utility trailers drawn by passenger cars, light trucks, and multipurpose vehicles. For procedures and minimum performance requirements for wheels used on trucks, see SAE J267, and for wheels used on passenger cars, see SAE J328. For the application of passenger car and light truck wheels (inset less than 0.10 m) to this trailer service, use this procedure. For the application of heavier truck wheels (inset 0.10 m (or more)) use SAE J267. Mobile home service is outside the scope of this document. There are two basic test procedures described, a cornering fatigue test and radial fatigue test. The cornering test is directed at the wheel disc; whereas the radial test also examines the rim and attachment portion of the wheel. Both test procedures are required to obtain a
This SAE Recommended Practice defines a method for implementing a bidirectional, serial communications link over the vehicle power supply line among modules containing microcomputers. This document defines those parameters of the serial link that relate primarily to hardware and software compatibility such as interface requirements, system protocol, and message format that pertain to Power Line Communications (PLC) between Tractors and Trailers. This document defines a method of activating the trailer ABS Indicator Lamp that is located in the tractor
This SAE Standard provides the auxiliary requirements for automotive or RV, additional 12 position, sealed Trailer Tow Connector Plug and Receptacle. The information included within this specification is intended to cover the test methods, design, and performance requirements of optional features for additional power, clean ground for electronic functions, video, data communication, and supplementary electric brake control
This SAE Recommended Practice includes wheel mounting elements subject to standardization in a series of industrial and agricultural disc wheels. The disc may be reversible or nonreversible and concave or convex. (See Figure 1 and Table 1
This SAE Standard provides the minimum requirements for automotive or RV, seven position, self-draining trailer tow connector interface. The procedures included within this specification are intended to cover the test methods, design, and performance requirements of the electrical interface of the seven-position trailer tow connector in low voltage (0 to 20) road vehicle applications
This SAE Recommended Practice covers the wiring and rectangularly shaped connector standards for all types of trailers whose gross weight does not exceed 4540 kg (10 000 lb). These trailers are grouped in SAE J684 with running light circuit loads not to exceed 7.5 A per circuit. This document provides circuits for lighting, electric brakes, trailer battery charging, and an auxiliary circuit color code and protection for the wiring from hazards or short circuits. Color code is compatible with SAE J560 and ISO 1724-1980(E
Governmental regulations and customer demand for more energy-efficient vehicles are driving the development of new solutions in the automotive sector. One way of improving energy efficiency is by reducing the aerodynamic drag. A possible solution to achieve this is the concept of vehicles driving in close proximity, which is now becoming feasible considering the advances in vehicle automation and communication. This study focuses on the behavior of aerodynamic forces and flow effects in a two-truck platoon when more realistic road conditions, such as lateral offset and yaw, are present. The study is primarily numerical, but the results are validated against an experimental campaign conducted earlier by the authors. The main findings are that the drag of the leading truck is mostly governed by the base pressure of its trailer and that the truck sees only minor changes when a lateral offset is added, except at very short intervehicle distances. For larger yaw angles, the leading truck
In modern conditions, the rising cost of fuel and the adoption of more stringent environmental standards in developed countries require a reduction in fuel consumption by vehicles. The profitability of the trucking industry depends on the fuel economy of trucks, which, in turn, is determined by many factors, including their aerodynamic characteristics. The article substantiates new ways of reducing the aerodynamic drag of road trains based on a study conducted by the authors. Numerical simulation of the road train aerodynamics allows us to determine the distribution of velocity, pressure, and air turbulence zone around it. The effectiveness of known and proposed technical solutions to reduce the aerodynamic drag of trains with the use of spoilers of various designs has been evaluated and implemented. An effective way to reduce the aerodynamic resistance of road trains is proposed. The method is to use air ducts as a part of the semi-trailer through which air flows in from the front and
The commercial vehicle development process needs to consider the vehicle aerodynamics not only in ideal flow conditions, but also in the turbulent real world environment. The turbulent real world environment includes not only atmospheric turbulence, but also the vehicle to vehicle interactions that happen when driving around other vehicles or into and out of the wake of in/on coming vehicles. A vehicle driving into the wake of an oncoming vehicle not only experiences an increase in the total aerodynamic forces, it also experiences unsteady transient loads over the vehicle components such as windshield, mirror, sunvisor, door and side fairing. To properly design specific components, designers need to understand the magnitude of unsteady forces on various vehicle components, otherwise these components may fail which imposes warranty and safety risks. In this paper, we attempt to understand the various forces acting on the primary vehicle during a passing maneuver. The main purpose is to
This SAE Recommended Practice establishes performance guidelines for the threshold pressure and brake force output of the brakes on the axles of air-braked towing trucks, truck-tractors, truck-trailers, and converter dollies with GVWRs over 4536 kg (10000 pounds) designed to be used on the highway in combination with other air-braked vehicles of this type in commercial operations
The scope and purpose of this SAE Recommended Practice is to provide a classification system for deformation sustained by trucks involved in collisions on the highway. Application of the document is limited to medium trucks, heavy trucks, and articulated combinations.1 The Truck Deformation Classification (TDC) classifies collision contact deformation, as opposed to induced deformation, so that the deformation is segregated into rather narrow limits or categories. Studies of collision deformation can then be performed on one or many data banks with assurance that data under study are of essentially the same type.2 Many of the features of the SAE J224 MAR80 have been retained in this document, although the characters within specific columns vary. Each document must therefore be applied to the appropriate vehicle type. It is also important to note that the TDC does not identify specific vehicle configurations and body types. The TDC is an expression, useful to persons engaged in vehicle
With the advent of CONTRAN resolution 641:2016 [1], became mandatory the Stability Control Systems on all articulated vehicles, that will be commercialized in Brazil from 2025. This resolution [1] aim to prevent the principal accident type involving heavy vehicles: The Rollover incidents. It is known that Brazilian heavy trucks market presents several peculiarities on vehicles configurations, in relation of European and American markets. Basically, it can be said that Brazilian articulated cargo vehicles are longer and heavier than American and European cargo vehicles. These characteristics make Brazilian vehicles more susceptible to lateral instabilities. These characteristics raise an important question about what will be the real effectiveness of these electronical stability control systems when it will be applied on these Brazilian cargo vehicles. Previous studies presents that the effectiveness of stability control systems will be lower and reduced on Brazil because these vehicle
Articulated vehicles contribute to the major portions of cargo transport through roads. Fifth wheel (FW) is an important component in these vehicles, which acts as the bridge between tractor and trailer and is often used as a parameter to adjust the axle loads. Ride and comfort studies linked to FW position exist. However, its influence on durability is often not considered seriously. In this article, three different FW positions placed at 200 mm, 400 mm, and 600 mm in front of the rear axle are studied virtually on a 4×2 tractor with three-axle semitrailer combination. To assess the risk associated with FW movement, acceleration-based pseudo-relative damage, power spectral density (PSD), and level crossing plots are analyzed for each FW position. Further, fatigue analysis is done on the cab structural components to understand the durability. Outcome shows that the FW position has an influence in determining the cab dynamics and durability of the components to a great extent. When the
Passenger vehicles have made astounding technological leaps in recent years. Unfortunately, little of that progress has trickled down to other segments of the transportation industry leaving opportunities for massive gains in safety and performance. In particular, the electric drum brakes on most consumer trailers differ little from those on trailers over 70 years ago. Careful examination of current production passenger vehicle hardware and trailering provided the opportunity to produce a design and test vehicle for a plausible, practical, and performant trailer braking system for the future. This study equips the trailer with high control frequency antilock braking and dynamic torque distribution through use of passenger vehicle grade apply hardware. Combining an electrically boosted one-box brake actuator with a complement of sensors allows one to leverage existing brake and chassis controls to produce high performance with minimal controls changes and off the shelf hardware in the
Nowadays, E- commerce and logistics business model is booming in India with road transport as a major mode of delivery system using containers. As competition in such business are on rise, different ways of improving profit margins are being continuously evolved. One such scenario is to look at reducing transportation cost while reducing fuel consumption. Traditionally, aero dynamics of commercial vehicles have never been in focus during their product development although literature shows major part of total fuel energy is consumed in overcoming aerodynamic drag at and above 60 kmph in case of large commercial vehicle. Hence improving vehicle exterior aerodynamic performance gives opportunity to reduce fuel consumption and thereby business profitability. Also byproduct of this improvement is reduced emissions and meeting regulatory requirements. To bring this into reality, vehicle manufacturers are looking at different opportunities to reduce aero drag and one such method that are been
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