AU711235B2

AU711235B2 - Weather shielding curtain-sided trailers

Info

Publication number: AU711235B2
Application number: AU32415/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Brian F Wilson
Original assignee: Krueger Transport Equipment Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Krueger Transport Equipment Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1996-08-08
Filing date: 1997-07-30
Publication date: 1999-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 2017-07-30
Also published as: AU3241597A

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): KRUEGER TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT PTY LTD A.C.N. 005 296 515 Invention Title: WEATHER SHIELDING CURTAIN-SIDED TRAILERS Application No: Filing Date: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2

TITLE

Weather Shielding Curtain-Sided Trailers Field of Invention This invention relates to the weather shielding of curtain-sided trailers.

In the road haulage industry, curtain-sided trailers have become popular. Curtain-sided trailers 10 usually comprise a flat trailer with a light weight aluminium roof structure that is bordered on the longer sides by a curtain that hangs from an overhead rail. The curtain is displaceable along the rail so that the curtain can be pulled back to facilitate loading and unloading of the trailer and then pulled taut to close off the enclosure. It is understood that the term "curtain sided o trailer" as used herein applies not only to the road haulage industry but other similar equipment used in the rail and shipping industries.

20 The curtain normally comprises a long double walled sheet of plastics, the top of which is secured to spaced metal brackets. Each bracket is attached to a strap that is coupled to a D ring and arranged to hang from a roller that is suspended to be displaceable about the overhead rail that forms part of the roof structure. To ensure that the top of the curtain does not foul the underside of the overhead rail, there is usually a gap between the top of the curtain and the underside of the rail. To ensure that rain cannot enter through this gap, it is usual to attach a weather seal to the roof structure to hang down against the curtain to cover the gap. The weather seal is in the form of an extruded length of rubber or plastics shaped in a manner that it can be firmly secured to the roof structure and then curved downwardly onto the outer surface of the curtain. The resilience of the weather seal results in an efficient seal on the curtain in normal climatic conditions. This arrangement H:\ann\Keep\Peum\,o1490-AU1 30/07/97 3 effectively prevents entry of water in most conditions and also allows the curtain to be moved relative to the weather seal and the roof structure without either the weather seal or the roof structure impeding this movement.

However, when trailers are used in severe conditions at high speed, the wind can cause flexing of the curtain resulting in the weather seal lifting out of engagement of the curtain. The wind currents also have the effect of causing water on the exterior of the curtain to be pushed up the curtain and to flow over the top of the curtain and down the inside to enter the enclosure.

It is this problem that has brought about the present invention.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a curtain sided trailer comprising a trailer bed supporting an overhead roof structure, the roof structure supporting an overhead rail along at least one side of the trailer, a curtain suspended from the rail to be longitudinally displaceable relative to the rail, and an elongate weather seal between the rail and the curtain, the seal being adapted to engage the outer surface of the curtain to cover the gap between the rail and the top of *25 the curtain whilst allowing the curtain to move relative to the seal, the curtain having barrier means positioned at or adjacent the top of the curtain to, in use, prevent passage of moisture up and over the top of the curtain.

30 Description of the Drawing An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a cross-sectional view showing part of the edge of the roof structure of a curtain sided trailer illustrating the attachment of the curtain to the roof structure.

H:\akhoo\Keep\Temp\32415 97 LST.doc 5/08/99 4 Description of the Preferred Embodiment The assembly shown in the drawing has many parts omitted for the purpose of clarity. A curtain 10 is hung from an elongate overhead rail 11 that is part of the roof structure, not shown, of a trailer. The overhead rail is an aluminium extrusion that has a U-shaped outer flange 12 with inwardly facing spaced apart rails 13 and 14. A series of rollers 15, one of which is shown in the drawing, are freely rotatable within the U-shaped enclosures on the rails. Each roller 15 supports a downwardly extending D ring 20 that is in turn coupled to a polyester strap 21 which is secured to the curtain via a rivet 22 or nut and bolt assembly. The straps are secured to the curtain at a spacing of approximately 500 mm and the D ring and strap arrangement ensures that the curtain is hung from the overhead rail with the top of curtain terminating a few centimetres below the underside of the rail.

The curtain is usually in the form of two sheets of PVC coated polyester cloth secured by seams at the ends to provide a hard wearing, durable, weatherproof structure.

The straps 21 extend between the walls of the plastics and the top of the sheet is either constituted by a pair of free edges as shown in the drawing or is defined by a fold go. whereby the sheet is folded back on itself to define the 25 twin walled structure.

*o H:\akhoo\Keep\Temp\32415 97 1ST.doc 5/08/99 I 5 An extruded rubber or plastics weather seal 30 is hung from an elongate hook 31 that is formed on the outer extremity of the aluminium extrusion that forms the overhead rail 11 in the roof structure. The weather seal has an enlarged head 32 which joins an arcuately curved body portion 33 that terminates in a curved tail 34. A small outwardly projecting ledge 35 is positioned beneath the head 32 and the head is a force fit within the gap 36 of the hook 31 so that the weather seal 30 can be firmly 10 secured to hang from the extrusion as shown in the drawing.

The shape of the weather strip is such that its resilience causes the tail 34 to press against the outer surface of the curtain to act as a seal. The weather seal 30 covers the gap between the top of the curtain 10 and the underside of the rail 11.

~In normal weather conditions, the weather seal and its press fit against the curtain 10 is sufficient to prevent ingress of water. However, it has been discovered that when a vehicle is travelling at high speeds especially S. *20 in wind and rain, the air current around the vehicle can in extreme circumstances cause the curtain to flex and the tail 34 of the weather seal 30 to lift away from the curtain 10. Water that would normally flow down the outside of the curtain gets pushed by eddies of wind in an upward direction and it has been discovered that the wind forces the water up the curtain over the top of the curtain to then run down the inside of the curtain to enter the enclosure that is defined by the curtain. To overcome this problem, this invention proposes the provision of a secondary weather seal 50 in the form of a flap 51 that is attached to the top of the outer surface of the curtain to extend down a short distance. The flap 51 may be bonded or otherwise secured to the curtain and it projects outwardly from the curtain due to the head of the rivets 22 or bolts that hold the brackets 21 forcing the flap 51 away from the curtain. When water passes the tail 34 of the weather seal 30 and starts to move up the curtain, it runs H:\ann\Kep\Perm\Pc1490..Au1 30/07/97 6 up the underside of the flap 51 to reach a deadend 52 where the flap 51 joins the curtain 10. The water is thus unable to ride up and over the top of the curtain to drain down the inside. Thus, the secondary seal 50 prevents ingress of water and causes water riding up the curtain to reach a dead end from which it will then drop back down the exterior of the curtain Although in the embodiment shown in the drawing the flap is a separate component that is bonded, heat 10 welded or stitched on to the outer surface of the curtain, it is understood that the flap could be formed integrally with the outer skin of the curtain by simply being turned ~back at the top of the curtain. It is also understood that other types of barriers could be positioned on the exterior of the curtain above the contact between weather seal and the curtain to prevent passage of water up and over the top of the curtain. Such barriers could be projecting strips attached to the curtain or elongate brackets positioned at .the top of the curtain.

20 It has been discovered that the use of the weather seal 30 and the secondary weather seal 50 in the form of a flap effectively prevents ingress of water in even the most hazardous weather conditions. These seals and 50 also effectively reduce the entry of dust into the enclosure.

H:\ann\Kep\Pem\po490-AU.1 30/07/97

Claims

1. A curtain sided trailer comprising a trailer bed supporting an overhead roof structure, the roof structure supporting an overhead rail along at least one side of the trailer, a curtain suspended from the rail to be longitudinally displaceable relative to the rail, and an elongate weather seal between the rail and the curtain, the seal being adapted to engage the outer surface of the curtain to cover the gap between the rail and the top of the curtain whilst allowing the curtain to move relative to the seal, the curtain having barrier means positioned at or adjacent the top of the curtain to, in use, prevent passage of moisture up and over the top of the curtain.

2. The curtain sided trailer according to Claim 1 wherein the barrier means comprises an elongate flap that depends downwardly at or adjacent the top of the exterior of the curtain.

3. The curtain sided trailer according to either Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the flap is secured to the S: exterior side of the curtain to project outwardly and downwardly towards the bottom of the curtain. The curtain sided trailer according to Claim 3 wherein the flap is, adhesively bonded, heat welded or stitched to the exterior side of the curtain. The curtain sided trailer according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the flap is formed integrally with ee the exterior side of the curtain.

6. The curtain sided trailer according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the curtain comprises two sheets of PVC coated polyester cloth stitched together.

7. The curtain sided trailer according to Claim 6 wherein a series of D rings are secured between the sheets of cloth to project spaced apart from the top of the curtain.

8. A curtain for a curtain sided trailer substantially as described herein with reference to and as H:\akhoo\Keep\Temp\32415 97 IST.doc 5/08/99 8 illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

9. A curtain sided trailer substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Dated this 5th day of August 1998. KRUEGER TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT PTY LTD By Its Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia e p p p p H:\akhoo\Keep\Temp\3245 97 1ST.doc 5/08/99