A custom valve manifold from Humphrey reduced the cost and time needed to convert truck trailers into a train, and at their destination convert them back to individual trailers for highway travel.

A manufacturer of trailers designed to operate on the highway or be coupled together on wheelsets to make up a train needed to improve trailer productivity by decreasing the amount of time it took to inflate/deflate the air suspension system; making the unit more robust and reliable; and reducing connections to make the unit easier to plumb. Each trailer has a collection of valves and other components to control the inflation/deflation of the bladders in the trailer’s suspension system, and engage/disengage the locking pins that hold the trailers onto the wheelsets.

The Engineered Solution

Humphrey’s Engineered Solutions team, working directly with the customer’s engineering department, identified the requirements and explored the opportunities for improvement. To achieve optimal product design, the customer provided a test trailer for use at the Humphrey facility.

Analyzing the customer’s circuit, Humphrey engineers saw an opportunity to eliminate one valve and make the original pressure protection valve a high-flow pressure protection valve. The valve module utilized Humphrey’s proven cartridge insert poppet valves to lower unit cost. The module also increased air flow.

Besides lowering the cost, the changes sped up the process of inflating or deflating the trailer’s air suspension system by 10-15 seconds. Given an average train length of 100-120 trailers, the entire operation now takes about 25 minutes less to accomplish. By incorporating all the valves into one module, Humphrey was able to deliver a robust unit that was simple to plumb, resulting in additional savings.