Laydon touts low-cost easy-to-install trailer skirt

During the Technology & Maintenance Council 2011 Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition, Laydon Composites announced a new low-cost Hybrid TrailerSkirt designed for quick installation to minimize vehicle downtime.

Laydon worked with Crane Composites, a manufacturer of flat-sheet composite panels for the trailer industry, to design a purpose-built panel specific for trailer aerodynamics. Laydon designed an injection-molded mono clamp and strut for mounting.

Laydon says computer-aided modeling and finite element analysis was used to stress-test the design and the material in all temperatures. The injection-molded plastic mono clamp is made to grab onto a trailer’s crossmembers to form mounting points for the skirt panels and supporting struts; each clamp is secured with a single stainless-steel bolt and locknut.