Trailer Frame Types.

Freight Van Trailers

In the construction of vans, light weight and good
aerodynamics are always sought. Despite the need for
these two important van trailer characteristics, structural
integrity and overall durability are still the two most
important features. The fabrication of the subframe to
include steel I-beam cross-member construction has
become common in trailer manufacture. Some variables
in the spacing of crossmembers can be found, with most
designs adding extra support in the rear. While aluminum
sheathed plywood-lined sidewalls are common,
fiberglass-reinforced plywood (FRP) panels are widely
available. FRP is heavier than aluminum and usually
more expensive but has high impact strength, good
corrosion resistance and a smooth finish.
There are two ways to obtain a light weight without
sacrificing strength. One is by using lighter, more
expensive materials such as aluminum and high-strength
steel in posts and crossmembers. The other is to give up
some cargo space. If the ultimate in interior width and height is not needed, wall posts and floor
crossmembers can have a deeper section. Aluminum sheet and post vans can be lighter than FRP
vans, but post thickness plus a plywood liner add up to more wall thickness.
Why are super-thin trailer walls sometimes important? A 1-inch increase in the width of a 53-foot
trailer adds almost 40 cubic feet of space to the interior. Most importantly, it often makes the
difference between getting two pallets side by side or not.
Extending trailer length is perhaps the cheapest way to gain cargo space, but legal limits must be
met.
Fifty-three-foot trailers are still banned in many
eastern states, so the trick is to get more interior-
space without changing exterior dimensions. On a
plywood-lined sheet and post van, one way would
be to special-order an FRP front wall designed to
meet the DOT strength requirement.
Perhaps the most interesting direction for trailer
expansion is down. There is no regulation against
lowering the trailer floor. It makes sense to keep the
roof at the legal 13 feet 6 inches while stretching
downward, because that is where the greatest cargo
space can be made. Assuming a completely flat
floor for ease of loading, lower limits are determined
by tractor fifth wheel height at the front, and trailer
floor-to-tire clearance in the rear. Low-profile tires
have helped at both ends, with fifth wheel heights coming down from the 48-inch standard to as low
as 44 or even 42 inches on tractors with low-profile fifth wheel mounts and lowered frames.
Further gains can also be made without tractor modifications. For fleets with standard-height tractors,
trailer cargo area can be increased with a wedge design. Such trailers have floors that slope
downward from front to rear, minimizing clearance over the trailer tires and bringing the floor well
below standard dock height at the rear. Wedge trailers typically have 110-inch or greater height at the
rear door opening and ultra-shallow headers over the door measuring less than 11/2 inches. Front
interior height is usually 108 to 1081/2 inches.
 One drawback of lowering the trailer floor is that it
will not be the same height as the standard loading
dock of 54 inches. Mounting a power hydraulic
landing gear assembly at the rear of the trailer has
become a common method of dealing with this
problem. The driver positions the trailer an inch or
so from the dock and flips a switch to raise the
floor of the trailer even with the dock. The
disadvantages of power hydraulics are cost,
weight and complexity. Fortunately, more shippers
are adapting to differing trailer heights by installing
dock leveler systems, ramps, or reduced-height
dock floors, making self-leveling trailers
unnecessary.

A real space-consumer in the front of semitrailers is the upper coupler, an assembly about 4 inches
thick that anchors the kingpin and forms the load-bearing surface of the fifth wheel. Consisting of top
and bottom plates and internal bracing, the upper coupler assembly needs a certain amount of
vertical space for structural strength. But careful design and use of high-strength steelcan bring
its height down, gaining space inside the trailer. Another space-saving technique is leaving the upper
plate of the coupler exposed. This means butting the wood floor to the rear of the coupler, which in
turn necessitates the use of special crossmembers in the landing gear area. This modification alone
can save a cubic foot of space, and is usually available with both standard and low-profile couplers.
A sturdy watertight roof is mandatory to ensure dry cargo. Some trailers are available with one-piece
aluminum sheet roofs. They eliminate seams where short sections are riveted togetherjoints that
are prone to leak after a couple of years. Roof bows that protrude down from the ceiling only 1/2-inch
need to be 6 inches wide for strength; they can be made lighter if allowed to take more interior height.
Finally, rear door frames can be made stronger with a deep header that cuts 4 or 6 inches of
headroom.
If the van trailer is operated in severe winter conditions, additional roof bows are often added at the
rear of the trailer where snow is most likely to collect. Often snow will slide off a building or terminal
roof and land on the rear of the trailer when it is backed into a loading door so the roof must sustain
this force.
Monocoque van
construction

Most van type trailers built in

North America utilize a
design known as
monocoque construction.
Essentially, monocoque
Vans have no frame running
longitudinally underneath
the floor to support the
cargo. Thus, this type of
structure obtains its strength
from the trailer body itself,
similar to an aircraft
fuselage or a unibodied
automobile.
While monocoque construction yields the best combination of weight and strength, it does present
some unique challenges to the trailer designer which may not be readily apparent.
Those who work with van trailers, either from a design standpoint or in a repair or maintenance, know
that the top and bottom rails of a van trailer contribute the bending stiffness to the walls, which in turn
support the floor and the cargo. These rails are typically slender aluminum extrusions, which run
longitudinally along the top and bottom of the wall itself. The size, shape and vertical distance
between the top and bottom rails are major factors in determining the stiffness and strength of the
walls.
Previously we discussed section modulus and how size and shape of frame channel affects bending
moment etc. In the exact same fashion the monocoque frame wall's rail resist bending due to the
size of the rails and the height of the wall. Thus, the height of the wall is analogous to the height of
the I-beam, and the width and thicknesses of the flanges mirror the size of the rails. In a similar
manner, the wall's skin and posts are analogous to the web of the I-beam or C-channel and serve to
space the rails apart vertically. As the wall is bent downward by the weight of the cargo, the top rail is
compressed along its length and the bottom rail is stretched by a tensile load. The wall panel (skin
and posts) sees a complex load, which is a function of the applied load, and geometric and material
characteristics.
The trailer body acts to support the cargo load internally, i.e., the floor system hangs from the bottom
rails in the bay area between the running gear section and the support point at the front (either the
support gear or the upper coupler). Thus, the trailer acts as a beam, supported at the front and the
rear with an unsupported span in the middle. This can be compared to the support of a suspension
bridge. The internal cargo load is generally what engineers would refer to as a distributed load,
meaning that the load itself is of a uniform density and is spread out over the floor evenly in the trailer.
The supporting loads, however, are much more concentrated, particularly when considering the
tractor fifth wheel load on the upper coupler.
These reaction loads over the upper coupler and running gear result in a vertical load on the walls
referred to as a shear load, which means that the load is perpendicular to the beam (trailer body)
length. The magnitude of the load and its concentration determines how strong the beam's shear
carrying mechanism needs to be at that point. For our I-beam, the web supports the shear, so by
analogy the sheets and posts of the trailer must be the elements of the wall to resist this shearing
load. This is why the front end of the beam (our trailer) has more posts over the upper coupler and
support gear, i.e., the concentration of the shear load at this point is greatest and the wall needs more
reinforcement (posts) to help support the shear load. Again our I-beam comparison would show web
stiffeners, as one would find in the suspension area of a platform trailer's beam for example.
As the vertical reaction load or its concentration is increased, the wall tends to be compressed more
vertically, as evidenced by wall bowing over the upper coupler or running gear of trailers with flexible
side walls. Both the skin and posts carry this vertical shear load in a compressive manner, as does
the web of our familiar I-beam. Thus, the skin, posts and rails are all sharing the load, and clearly
these wall components are the beam that carries the load across the span between the front and rear
of the trailer.
Now that we understand how the walls work, and that the floor
hangs from the walls, lets design a trailer wall with a hole in it
such as a side door imposes. From what we've already
learned, a cutout (door) in the bay area of the trailer will differ
from one near the ends of the wall as far as how the wall loads
will interact with the door opening. In the center of the trailer,
there is not a reaction force concentrated under the door
opening, unless the opening falls over the support gear which
is similar to the situation at the wall ends. Conversely, over the
upper coupler, support gear or running gear a relatively concentrated load is applied to the bottom of
the trailer which must be designed around.
The door opening in any area removes structure from the web or panel (sheets and posts) portion of
the beam (wall). In addition, the bottom rail will likely be notched down to floor level at the threshold of
the door, the extent depending on if the trailer is a dry freight or reefer, and for reefers depending on
floor insulation thickness. Removal of panel (sheets and posts) is more critical in areas of high shear
loads, such as the ends and support gear areas of the wall. Manufacturers design around these
problems by adding reinforcement to the door frame posts, adjacent to the door frame posts and to
the header areas of the door frame. The extent of such reinforcement depends on the severity of the
sidewall loading and the size of the required opening.
The trailer bottom rail also is typically reinforced in and around the area of any notching or cutouts.
Corners of the cutout are typically reinforced to allow the rail notch to withstand the imposed stress
levels, again dependant on lengthwise location in the trailer as to the amount necessary. Also, the rail
itself will usually be reinforced under and beyond the door opening at each end to allow the rail alone
to support the cargo or a forklift wheel in the door opening since there is no wall in the door opening
(cutout) above the rail for the rail to hang from.
Now that we all understand how a monocoque wall works, it makes sense that damage to seemingly
insignificant items such as loss of a roofbow from being knocked out by a forklift, or a cut side sheet
can be so critical. The wall components spread the load out through the wall structure which also
serves to enclose the cargo in a manner which is highly efficient. Thus, each element works hard
allowing maximum payload to be carried at the lowest tare weight possible.
Ladder type frames in trailers are constructed almost identically with those of heavy duty trucks which
we have already discussed however most ladder type trailer frames would not use high tensile steel
in their construction.
Another difference is the fact that the crossmembers extend past the frame rails to support the trailer
walls or platform. Notice the I-Beam shape of the frame rails I beams offer a larger section modulus
and are stronger than C-Channel.
Other trailers may seem to have no frame at all such as tankers. Because they are round the section
modulus of the tank is quite substantial and it may not require a conventional frame.

Quite often these tanks will require strengthening

crossmembers as can be seen in the picture
above to stiffen the tank, they will also require an

increase in modulus at the upper coupler and

strengthening at the running attachment points in
the rear.
Some tanks will have exterior frames that support
the tank and still others will have partial frames. It
all depends on the vocation of the tank.