Semi-trailer Vehicle Loadable to 40-feet Containers

Technical Area

The invention is about the semi-trailer vehicle with modular frame structure, consisting of parts in dimensions loadable to 40 ft High Cube container.

Known Situation of the Technique

One of the biggest cost items in overseas export is logistics, i.e., freight cost for transporting the products to foreign markets. The major part of export in advanced economies is done through container transportation. Today, container transportation is the most used cheap logistics operation in the top 10 economies in exporting.

Containers used in these logistics operations are manufactured in compliance with international ISO 668. For example, the sizes of 40 ft High Cube (HC) containers mostly used for transportation of these loads are as below according to ISO 668:

Interior length: 1 1 ,998 mm

Interior width: 2,330 mm

Interior height: 2,566 mm

Therefore, dimensions of these products should be according to these ISO norms in order to be carried in these containers. However, as the length of many exported semi-trailer vehicles is much more than 1 1 ,998 mm which is the interior length of 40 ft HC containers manufactured in compliance with ISO 668, these vehicles cannot be loaded and carried in these containers. For this reason, containers cannot be used while exporting manufactured semi-trailer vehicles and this brings serious logistics costs to the manufacturers. These logistics costs disadvantage the companies using container transportation in export by increasing total costs. For example, if a company exporting a product from Turkey to South Korea exports this product in container, it will pay X unit for logistics cost. On the other hand, this company will pay between 5X-10X unit at minimum per product for logistics cost if it prefers other exportation methods.

Besides, in case of any accident or upon the demand of spare part, the frame is modified completely or the spare part demand is covered as complete semi-trailer frame due to monoblock welded one-piece frame of other semi-trailers. This increases post-sales costs and affects spare part and post-sales services negatively.

Consequently, the need for a modular semi-trailer vehicle consisting of parts loadable into 40 ft High Cube containers manufactured according to ISO 668 and the inadequacy of current solutions necessitated a development in the relevant technical area.

The Purpose of the Invention The present invention is about the modular semi-trailer vehicle that fulfils the requirements mentioned above, eliminates all disadvantages and brings additional advantages.

The main purpose of the modular semi-trailer that is the subject of the invention is to contain a main frame with height less than 1 1 ,998 mm with front and rear frames modularly connected to the main frame. In this way, it enables the transportation of semi-trailer vehicles higher than 1 1 ,998 mm within containers in export. Therefore, unit costs of logistics are reduced. In consequence, price advantage compared to competitors is provided by lowering total costs of the products in exported countries and markets. Thanks to this price advantage, bulk export is feasible and reducing foreign trade deficit is highly contributed.

Another purpose of the invention is that mounting can be performed without high level expertise in exported place as the connections between main frame and front-rear frames are made with removable parts such as bolts, rivets, etc. Moreover, after any accident or upon the demand of spare part, the demand after sales can be met with required frame part instead of complete modification or return of the frame as the system is connected with bolts, rivets, etc. This provides faster and cheaper post-sales services.

In order to reach the purposes mentioned above in the most general sense, the modular semi- trailer vehicle consisting of parts loadable into 40 ft High Cube containers manufactured in compliance with ISO 668 have been developed. The developed modular semi-trailer vehicle consists of a frame positioned on moving assembly, at least one main frame shorter than 1 1 ,998 mm enabling the loading into 40 ft containers manufactured by ISO 668, a front frame mounted on the front part of the main frame facilitating the extension and a rear frame mounted on the rear part of the main frame facilitating the extension. Removable connections like bolts, rivets, etc. between the main frame and front-rear frames provide modularity. Structural and characteristic features and all advantages of the invention will be understood more clearly through the images provided below and by references made to these images; and therefore, it is required to make evaluations by considering these images and detailed explanations.

Images to Help Understanding the Invention

In order to understand the current invention together with its structure and additional elements and its advantages, it should be evaluated with the figures explained below.

Figure - 1 a: Side view of the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 1 b: Perspective view of the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 1 c: Top view of the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 2a: Side view of the frame structure inside the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 2b: Perspective view of the frame structure inside the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 2c: Top view of the frame structure inside the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 3a: Side view of the demounted frame structure inside the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 3b: Perspective view of the demounted frame structure inside the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 3c: Top view of the demounted frame structure inside the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 3d: Perspective view of the demounted connection between the main and rear frames inside the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 3e: Top view of the demounted connection between the main and front frames inside the semi-trailer vehicle as the subject of the invention.

Figure - 4: Sectional view of the 40 ft HC container manufactured in compliance with ISO 668.

The drawings do not have to be scaled necessarily and unnecessary details may be neglected to understand the current invention. Besides, elements which are largely identical or at least with largely identical functions are shown with the same number.

Part References 10 Semi-trailer vehicle

20 Frame

21 Main frame

22 Front modular extension

23 Rear modular extension

24 Bearing extrusions

25 Bearing clearances

30 Moving assembly

40 Container

D Interior length of container

L Frame length

Detailed Explanation of the Invention It is a semi-trailer vehicle (10) with a frame (20) structure suitable for 40 ft containers (40) and it is characterized with comprising front modular extension (22) mounted on the front of the main frame (21 ) of the mentioned frame (20) facilitating the extension of the structure and rear modular extension (23) mounted on the rear of the mentioned main frame (21 ) facilitating its extension. It has bearing extrusions (24) of the said front (22) and rear modular extensions (23). There are bearing clearances (25) on the front and rear ends of the main frame (21 ) where the mentioned bearing extrusions (24) are positioned.

In Figures 1 a, 1 b and 1 c, there are side, perspective and top views, respectively, of the semi-trailer vehicle (10) as the subject of the invention. Semi-trailer vehicle (10) consists of the frame (20) and the moving assembly (30) on which the frame (20) is positioned, and it can be loaded into 40 ft containers (40) manufactured in compliance with ISO 668 which has sectional view in Figure 4. To ensure this, the frame (20) consists of a main frame (21 ), front modular extension (22) mounted on the front part of the main frame (21 ) facilitating the extension and rear modular extension (23) mounted on the rear part of the main frame (21 ) facilitating the extension, as seen in Figures 2a, 2b and 2c. Dimensions of the main frame (21 ), front modular extension (22) and rear modular extension (23) should be less than 1 1 ,998 mm which is the interior length (D) of container, so that 40 ft High Cube containers (40) manufactured in compliance with ISO 668 can fit. In this case, separate frame lengths (L) of the main frame (21 ), front modular extension (22) and rear modular extension (23) are always equal to or shorter than the interior length (D) of container. D≥ L. Transportation costs of semi-trailer vehicle (10) which can be transported via containers (40) in this way are considerably reduced. In Figures 3a, 3b and 3c, there are side, perspective and top views, respectively, of the demounted frame (20) structure. Figures 3d and 3e are perspective views of the demounted connections between the main frame (21 ) and rear modular extension (23) and between the main frame (21 ) and front modular extension (22), respectively. In the preferred structure of the invention, the connection between the main frame (21 ) and front-rear modular extensions (22-23) are made with removable connections such as bolts, rivets, etc. Therefore, the mounting can be performed without high level expertise. Moreover, after any accident or upon the demand of spare part, the demand after sales can be met with required frame part instead of complete modification or return of the frame (20) as the system is connected with bolts, rivets, etc. This provides faster and cheaper post-sales services.