Get rid of those bent axles!

[zzvyb6]

Your "bent" trailers are actually pre-stressed so under loading conditions, a bending moment diagram is nice and straight. Same a pre-stressed concrete beams.

 

[fried1765]

Perhaps those trailers are purposely designed that way. If the empty trailer always returns to the bowed position the material is not fatigued.

Yah think?

 

[fried1765]

Your "bent" trailers are actually pre-stressed so under loading conditions, a bending moment diagram is nice and straight. Same a pre-stressed concrete beams.

True!

 

[npalen]

I thought everyone would understand the arched trailers. They should have made horses that way also.

 

[Jstpssng]

Perhaps those trailers are purposely designed that way. If the empty trailer always returns to the bowed position the material is not fatigued.

REALLY! I'm glad that you guys pointed it out to me as I thought that they could get away with it because the Teamster's lobby was too strong. Can you see the sarcasm & irony this time? The clue should have been when I stated

when loaded, that bend straightens right out.

I thought everyone would understand the arched trailers. They should have made horses that way also.

 

[FTG-05]

Perhaps those trailers are purposely designed that way. If the empty trailer always returns to the bowed position the material is not fatigued.

Nothing goes over your head!

 

[bcp]

I think the highly arched trailers I've seen were aluminum.

It would be interesting to see how a trailer-length, lightweight, rigid load is supported on an arched trailer.

Bruce

 

[RickB]

I think the highly arched trailers I've seen were aluminum.

It would be interesting to see how a trailer-length, lightweight, rigid load is supported on an arched trailer.

Bruce

Not hard to see if you look when the opportunity presents itself. The rigid cargo is cribbed on the deck in various places to provide needed support. The cribbing is of varying heights.

 

[bcp]

Not hard to see if you look when the opportunity presents itself. The rigid cargo is cribbed on the deck in various places to provide needed support. The cribbing is of varying heights.

That's what I figured, but I've never seen it.

Bruce

 

[cannuck]

Not hard to see if you look when the opportunity presents itself. The rigid cargo is cribbed on the deck in various places to provide needed support. The cribbing is of varying heights.

My trailer engineer buddy and I have constant disagreements over this. As someone who builds a lot of trailers and axles, I look at pretty much everything rolling down the highway with great interest. IF those who design class 8 flat decks actually DID the calcs to determine camber, most of them did them very wrong. What you post is my observation as well: loaded to near design gross weight with load distributed along the trailer deck length, you need blocking of differing thickness to carry a load flat and straight. Those with very little camber are very close to the right values. BTW: the phrase "pre-stressed" was used in this thread - also not true, just "pre-bent"