Trailer builders in the CV Show spotlight

With only Iveco displaying heavy trucks at the Commercial Vehicle Show, trailer manufacturers turned out in force to fill the halls at the NEC.

British trailer and body manufacturer Don-Bur tends to exhibit at the Show when it has a technical innovation to launch, and 2016 was no exception.

Marketing manager Richard Owens explained how the latest development from the company aimed to offer the aerodynamic advantages of a ‘boat tail’ in managing air flow at the rear of the vehicle, but without the operational disadvantages that a relatively flimsy lightweight structure in such a vulnerable position would bring.

The boat tail fairings, which mimic a ship’s stern, reduce the drag-inducing pocket of low air pressure found at the back of a fast-moving trailer.

“A trailer tail might cost £2,000 to install and save £1,000 a year in fuel, but any payback could be eliminated if it needs to be repaired in that time,” he said. “So, although a 500 mm aerodynamic extension to the rear is permitted in the UK under a derogation and the EC is changing WVTA dimensions to allow them in Europe, we’ve never recommended them.

“We did research on alternative approaches that didn’t entail creating a physical structure, and this led us to Glasgow University and work being done there on plasma actuators using single dielectric barrier discharge.

“The technology has been in existence for about 20 years in aeronautic applications, but it has never been used on commercial vehicles, although Glasgow University was investigating this use.”

While the technology sounds very sophisticated, its physical realisation is actually quite simple: the plasma actuators are two copper strips slightly offset and separated by a thin band of insulating material.

A current of around 18,000 volts but at just one milliamp is passed through the copper strips, which are positive and negative electrodes: the high potential difference (voltage) between the two creates a stream of air plasma over the trailing edge of the top electrode, although the very low current (amperage) means that there is no hazard and the gap is not actually bridged.

Instead, a stream of ionised air is created, which moves backwards at up to 12 metres per second. Careful positioning of the actuators angles the airflow in, creating the same aerodynamic profile that a boat tail would, but without the physical structure. Happily, this also prevents the blue light generated by the air plasma from showing to the rear of the vehicle and upsetting the VCA.

“Once productionised, we estimate the system will add only £900 to £1,000 to the cost of a trailer,” Mr Owens maintains.

“The only complex area is the power control. Actual current consumption is only about 30 watts which could easily be provided by a trickle-charged battery, a solar panel, or just surplus power from the truck engine’s alternator.”

The technology is suitable for trailers and rigids. It could have further applications: for example, being fitted to the rear of tractor unit cabs to help manage the airflow in the gap between tractor cab back wall and trailer front bulkhead.

Don-Bur expects to produce a full-scale prototype within 12 months, then go into a phase of further development before bringing the product to market.

More innovation for the back of trucks could be found on the Chereau stand. The French manufacturer is now partnered with SOR of Spain; and together the two companies claim to be the European leader in the manufacture of fibre-glass temperature-controlled bodies.

Chereau gave its award-winning SmartOpen-C roller blind door its UK debut on a multi-compartment 18-tonne DAF LF rigid. A SmartOpen-C shutter is superior to conventional barn doors because it is automatically opened or closed in less than 10 seconds at the touch of a button, making it ideal for multi-drop applications.

The shutter retracts upwards into a fairing above the rear of the roof, ensuring the inside of the body is kept clean, while a conventional shutter that retracts under the body’s roof can drip dirty water onto the cargo. Unlike conventional designs, the SmartOpen body can be docked with the rear door closed, which again aids cleanliness and temperature retention.

The UK was Chereau’s first export market and – in celebration of the Normandy factory’s production of a landmark 100,000 units since its opening in 1953 – it has earmarked 10 limited-edition trailers for UK customers. Each one will feature a unique livery showing the buyer’s vehicle in large rendition on the body sides, as displayed at the CV Show.

British trailer-maker SDC displayed a tri-axle aerodynamic trailer in Stobart colours featuring a Formula One-style kinetic energy recovery system actuated by the centre axle. It uses propshaft driven retarder to charge capacitors mounted under the trailer on braking. When the truck accelerates again, the retarder is transformed into a traction motor and drives the trailer’s centre axle, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

Kässbohrer, the Turkish-owned German manufacturer, had trailers representing what it claims is the broadest product range on offer in Europe, with a tipping tank ‘silo’ tri-axle, a four-axle extra-low-loader trailer with 9 ft wide bed, and a heavy-duty flatbed primarily for container transport on show.

The company will also offer a curtainside trailer featuring its KFix strapping system. This is suitable for ro-ro shipping, and will be available with UK-specific heights of over four metres by the end of the year.

Kässbohrer carries out UK-specific product R&D at MIRA, near Coventry and will appoint 16 independent third-party workshops in the UK. It also has a Europe-wide service arrangement with trailer leasing giant TIP.

BPW and SAF axles are specified along with Jost landing gear, and the trailers are delivered on Bridgestone or similar quality premium tyres.

Like Kässbohrer, the UK’s newest trailer maker, Tiger Trailers, was expounding the virtues of galvanised chassis frames, which it says add a mere £300 to the cost of production but mean that the trailer’s working life can be extended beyond 10 years without a costly mid-life refurbishment.

Montracon showed a postless curtainsider in the company’s new livery, demonstrating the Retract ‘n’ Slide load securing system which the British manufacturer is offering alongside the established Retractostrap system. Also on show was a Morrisons fridge trailer and a machinery carrier.