Articulating air walls for use between semi-truck and trailer

1. An apparatus for reducing aerodynamic drag in a gap between a tractor and a corresponding trailer attached to the tractor, the tractor comprising a tractor frame, the apparatus comprising:

a frame assembly comprising a base, a vertical member extending upwardly from the base and upper and lower arms extending horizontally from the vertical member, the upper and lower arms each having a proximal end attached to the vertical member and an opposite distal end, the distal end of each arm supporting a bearing, an elongate cylindrical member journaled through the bearing so that the cylindrical member is rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical member, and a biasing member applying torque to the cylindrical member to bias the cylindrical member in a rotational direction towards the gap between the tractor and trailer;

a panel assembly comprising a panel body having a leading edge, a trailing edge opposite the leading edge, an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface, wherein upper and lower brackets are mounted to the inner surface of the panel body proximate the leading edge of the panel body, and a wheel supported on a wheel bracket, the wheel bracket mounted to the panel body proximate the trailing edge such that an axis of rotation of the wheel is parallel to the trailing edge of the panel body and offset apart from the trailing edge of the panel body;

wherein opposite upper and lower portions of the cylindrical member of the frame assembly are secured in the upper and lower brackets of the panel assembly; and

wherein the inner surface of the panel body is in contact with a surface of the trailer proximate the wheel when the tractor is attached to and pulling the trailer; and

wherein, when a longitudinal axis of the trailer is greater than 0° relative to a longitudinal axis of the tractor, the inner surface of the panel body slides along a side surface of the trailer; and

wherein, when the trailing edge of the panel assembly falls into a gap between the trailer and the tractor, the wheel contacts and travels along a front surface of the trailer and over an edge of the trailer as the trailer and the tractor become re-aligned such that an angle between the longitudinal axes of the trailer and of the tractor approaches 0°.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame assembly is mountable to the tractor frame of the tractor using one or more mounting members.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the one or more mounting members are selected from a group consisting of: bolts, U-bolts, mounting clamps, screws.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the panel body is manufactured of polycarbonate.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the leading and trailing edges of the panel body are each wrapped in an edging.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the leading edge further includes a rounded aluminum extension, the rounded aluminum extension protruding from the leading edge in the plane of the panel body so as to provide a rounded face proximate to the leading edge of the panel body.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the panel assembly further comprises an elongate gliding strip mounted to the inner surface of the panel body, the gliding strip having a leading end and a trailing end, the leading end located proximate the leading edge of the panel and the trailing end located proximate the trailing edge of the panel and proximate the corresponding wheel.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the wheel includes at least two wheels and wherein the gliding strip includes at least two gliding strips, wherein each gliding strip is mounted to the inner surface of the panel body and proximate to a corresponding wheel of the at least two wheels.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein at least one end of the gliding strip is beveled so as to facilitate the gliding strip gliding over protrusions that protrude from the surface of the trailer.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the edges of the gliding strip are beveled so as to facilitate the gliding strip gliding over protrusions that protrude from the surface of the trailer.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the gliding strip is manufactured of a wear-resistant material, the wear-resistant material having a low friction coefficient.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wheel bracket includes a spring loaded hinge, the spring loaded hinge configured to bias the wheel towards the trailer when the apparatus is mounted to the tractor and the tractor is pulling the trailer; and wherein the wheel bracket rotates about the hinge so as to move the wheel away from the trailer when the panel enters the gap between the tractor and the trailer and the wheel contacts the front surface of the trailer.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame assembly further includes a stop mechanism for limiting a range of motion of the cylindrical member in the said rotational direction.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the biasing member is a torsion spring.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a height of the vertical member is selectively adjustable.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a length of each of the upper and lower arms is selectively adjustable.