1 / 12

Retractable Tractor Trailer Boat Tail

Retractable Tractor Trailer Boat Tail. Tim Slattery 11/15/12. Background. Typical full tractor trailer will get about 6 mpg & travels 120,000 miles per year $80,000 annual fuel cost Rear of trailer contributes ~25% of total aerodynamic drag. Description. Goal

zareh
Download Presentation

Retractable Tractor Trailer Boat Tail

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Retractable Tractor Trailer Boat Tail Tim Slattery 11/15/12

  2. Background • Typical full tractor trailer will get about 6 mpg & travels 120,000 miles per year • $80,000 annual fuel cost • Rear of trailer contributes ~25% of total aerodynamic drag

  3. Description • Goal • To decrease drag on rear of trailer while still allowing easy access to cargo • Device must retract to allow doors to fully open

  4. Description • Hinged metal plates form shape • Device is unlocked from deployed position • Pivot arm is rotated, pushing panels down the side of the trailer • When in place, the device is locked into position and the doors can be opened • Device is deployed by reversing this procedure

  5. Customer Needs • Allows use of current dock • Improves fuel economy • Device does not obscure any tail lights • Device must lock in deployed and retracted positions • Pays for itself in 1 year

  6. Main Specifications • Reduces aerodynamic drag by >7% • Annual fuel savings of $2,200 • Trailer doors are free to open at least 250° • Extends off back of truck 5 feet or less • Department of Transportation (DOT) Constraint • Does not extend past width and height of trailer • DOT Constraint • Deploy or retract device in less than 30s • Deploy or retract in 5 steps or less

  7. Scope & Deliverables • Scope • Design that allows full access to trailer doors • Reduce drag by 7-9% • Focus on retractable design mainly • Deliverables • Small scale trailer model to prove drag reduction • One half scale prototype to demonstrate retractable function

  8. Customer • Aerodynamic Trailer Systems, LLC • Jim Domo • Design products to improve trailer efficiency • Makers of the SmartTail® • 4-7% fuel savings • Only deploys at highway speeds • Faculty Consultants • Dr. Gomes • Mechanical Design, Mechanics • Dr. Wellin • Testing, Aerodynamics, Fluid Mechanics • Dr. Venkataraman • Fluid Mechanics, CFD, Wind Tunnel

  9. Team Staffing & Equipment • 4-5 ME Students • CFD Analysis • Fluid Dynamics • Aerodynamics • Stress Analysis • Fatigue Analysis • Mechanical Design • RIT Drag Tank • RIT Wind Tunnel • RIT Machine Shop • MSD lab

  10. Budget Estimate • Budget $750.00 • High investment yields high long term savings • 7-9% drag reduction = $2205.59-$2835.76 annual fuel savings • Consumer cost <$2000.00 provides net savings in under one year

  11. Future Projects • Optimize tail geometry • Improve fuel savings • Up to 16% fuel savings • Saves $12,000 annually • Fully automated design • Minimize operator interaction • Full scale prototype testing

  12. References • Aerodynamic Trailer Systems, LLC • www.ats-green.com • Tractor Trailer Tail: Final Report • http://www.seniord.aere.iastate.edu • PRP • http://edge.rit.edu/edge/R13902/public/HW_Deliverables/Individual%20Submissions/Tim%20Slattery/PRP%20Drafts/PRP-Final.pdf

More Related