Panel and cargo compartment for a truck

Details Panel and cargo compartment for a truck Panel and cargo compartment for a truck

1997-04-22

2001-06-19

Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)

Land vehicles: bodies and tops

Bodies

Structural detail

C296S181700, C296S183100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06247747

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a panel for a truck and a cargo compartment using the panel, and specifically to a new structure having a panel constructed by using an FRP (fiber reinforced plastic).
BACKGROUND ART OF THE INVENTION
As a structure for a cargo compartment for a truck, for example, a so-called gull wing-type cargo compartment is known wherein a floor panel whose base frame is formed from a metal frame material is attached onto a chassis of a truck, portal frames are attached onto the floor panel as well as the central portions of the front and rear portal frames are connected by a center beam, and left and right side walls and ceiling portions are constructed so that they can be rotatably led up.
In such a structure, loading and unloading of freight into and out of the cargo compartment can be performed not only at the rear side of the cargo compartment but also at the left and right sides, thereby improving the workability of the cargo compartment.
A conventional cargo compartment is constructed using a steel and an aluminum material. In a floor panel
306
, for example, as shown in
FIG. 77
, a base frame
304
is formed from steel angles
301
arranged along a longitudinal direction of a truck, steel angles
302
arranged along a transverse direction of the truck and steel angles
303
disposed on both sides. For example, a plywood
305
provided as a floor material is fixed onto the base frame
304
via fasteners such as vises to form a floor panel
306
.
A gull wing panel
316
, for example, as shown in
FIG. 78
, has a ceiling portion and a side wall portion. A gull wing panel
316
is constructed by forming a base material
313
by connecting rail materials
311
extending in the longitudinal direction of a truck via rail angles
312
arranged at a predetermined pitch, and attaching aluminum panels
314
and
315
onto the base material
313
.
In addition to the above-described structure, as the formation of a cargo compartment for a truck, known are a so-called van-type cargo compartment wherein a floor panel, whose base frame is formed from a metal frame material, is attached onto a chassis of a truck, front and rear portal frames are attached onto the floor panel, and the front and rear portal frames are connected at their upper, left and right portions. Left and right side walls and ceiling portions are constructed from a skin material, a rear door is provided at a rear end portion, a so-called flat body-type cargo compartment, wherein a floor panel whose base frame is formed from a metal frame material, is attached onto a chassis of a truck, and left and right gates and a rear door are attached to the floor panel.
Recently, making large-sized trucks has been accelerated, and a gull wing-type truck having a great total weight such as one of 25 tons (carrying capacity: about 13 tons) has been popularized.
Although the carrying capacity is expected to be increased in order to reduce the cost of transportation of goods, there is a limitation on increasing carrying capacity in the conventional installation using a metal material because the weight due to the installation of a cargo compartment increases. Further, there is a problem in that a member of a conventional cargo compartment is weak against an external force because of many hollow portions. Furthermore, there is a problem that, because increase of strength of various portions of the cargo compartment is required in order to achieve a structure capable of opening and closing, the thickness of the material used increases as the result. Thus, the weight of the material increases and the weight due to the installation of such a cargo compartment increases. Furthermore, when steel or aluminum are used, there may be problems relating to weatherability and corrosion resistance.
As another problem, because one cargo compartment is constructed from many members, a great cost for processing and fabricating it is required, and the cost for installing such a cargo compartment increases.
Recently installation using an FRP in a part of a cargo compartment has been performed. For example, Japanese Patent Application JP-A-HEI 4-166416 proposes a gull wing panel for a cargo compartment of a truck using an FRP. In this publication, a bent plate having a sandwich panel structure is formed by nipping a block core material made from a balsa material with FRP protecting layers, and a gull wing panel is formed by holding the edge portions of the bent plate by channel members.
In this publication, however, although a balsa material is used as a core material, advantage for lightening is small, and further, because a process for connecting the channel members to the edge portions of the formed body via fasteners such as rivets is required, the cost for installation increases.
Further, although an FRP is used, the FRP portion is not a main rigid member of the panel, that is, it is not a portion for mainly taking charge of a rigidity of the whole of the panel, and most of the rigidity and the strength is maintained by the balsa material provided as the core material and/or the channel members provided at the edge portions as frame members. Therefore, the FRP material mainly functions as a surface protecting material. In such a structure, advantage for lightening due to use of an FRP is very small. Further, it is difficult to increase the rigidity and strength of the panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems in conventional panels and cargo compartments and to provide a panel for a truck and a cargo compartment for a truck which are light, have sufficient rigidity and strength and are excellent in processing and fabricating properties.
To accomplish this object, a panel for a truck according to the present invention comprises an FRP plate including a woven fabric of reinforcing fibers as a main rigid member. Where, the main rigid member means a member having a rigidity required for the panel basically without using a metal frame material etc., and in a case where a web and/or a stiffener is provided, it means a member including the web and/or the stiffener and a member taking charge of a rigidity of not less than 50% of the rigidity of the whole of the panel.
The above-described woven fabric of reinforcing fibers is defined as a concept including, of course, a woven fabric having a weave structure formed from warps and wefts, and further, a non-crimp woven fabric whose formation of warps and wefts is maintained using auxiliary yarns and a fiber substrate formed as a so-called preform. It is preferred that this woven fabric includes at least one kind of reinforcing fibers selected from carbon fibers, glass fibers and aramide fibers.
A panel for a truck according to the present invention may be formed from a single plate of the above-described FRP plate, and may be formed using two or more FRP plates.
For example, it can be formed as a panel for a truck having a sandwich structure in which the above-described FRP plate is disposed on each side of a core material.
Further, it can be formed as a panel for a truck having a so-called hollow cross section structure in which the above-described FRP plate is disposed at each position of two positions being spaced to face each other. A core material may be charged in the formed space.
In such a panel for a truck, in a case where two FRP plates are used, it is preferred to provide a web connecting the FRP plates, particularly, an FRP web. Further, the panel may have a structure in which a stiffener is connected to the FRP panel, and the stiffener also can be made from an FRP. Such FRP web and FRP stiffener can be molded integrally with the FRP plate.
The above-described panel for a truck can be used as at least a part of at least one of a floor panel, a gate panel, a gull wing panel and a wall panel (in this specification, a front panel and a rear panel are named generically as a wall panel). A light cargo compartment for a truck having high rigidity and high strength can be realized by

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