Thread: Bionic Van
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Old 07-29-2008, 04:49 PM   #26 (permalink)
aerohead
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science/engineering

Quote:
Originally Posted by MazdaMatt View Post
You mistake science and engineering. Yes, the science of it is well-known in the aero field. You need an engineering firm to make the drawings and test the concepts. Sounds simple, but it ain't (I figure you know that much!)

So how does a kam-back truck hold the same amount of freight as a box-shaped truck? make it 10 feet longer? that is out because if htey could make it 10 feet longer, it would be square, and hold 8 more skids to make more money than the kamback could recoup in fuel. Okay, make it some sort of accordian fold-up deally that you deploy for hte highway. Now you're talking about a 15-thousand dollar piece of heavy equipment if you want it to last for 20 years problem free. What if it breaks? Does your in-house trailer repair dude know anything about fixing it? Nope, send it to a specialty repair shop for 5 grand. And what does a heavy piece of equipment like that weigh? factor that into the fuel equation, and MUCH more importantly, tell the trucking company that their maximum load has just been reduced by that much.

Much much much much more to the puzzle than simply "toss on a kam-back and a nose cone".

Everything in that industry is SIMPLE and STRONG. Those are the prime requisits.
I know I'm being simplistic.The thing about the Fruehauf trailer,is that one presumes all the engineering has been collecting dust since the 1980s.The blueprints are finished,the science is firmly established,the concept has been proven at the Diesel pump,and it is only a matter of someone in a position of authority to sign the go-ahead for production.Their design was a high-cube,longer trailer with more cargo capacity than conventional trailers.More cargo per mile.More range per fuel load.Lower cost/ton-mile.No increase in load on power-train,perhaps less.No moving parts,just the rear cargo split-door as already in acceptance.The weight of the skirts would be offset by the decreased wall height in the boat-tailed area.
Throw in the flotation tires.If I were the government,I'd have the national labs develop no-cost technology for "convoy" driving,allowing truckers to NASCAR draft,bumper-to-bumper in trains ,say,up to 10-rigs long,dedicate lanes for them to do it in,and imprison any motorists in cars which endanger the truckers,driving coast-to-coast,saving up to 15% in the draft.
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