GB2157243A - Vehicle mud flap - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle mud flap is moulded with an integral flange (20) which can be folded to serve as a mounting bracket, dispensing with the usual requirement for a separate metal mounting bracket. The flange (20) projects from the main portion (10) of the flap initially in the same plane as the latter, and is formed with grooves providing lines (22, 24) of reduced thickness along which the flanges can be twice bent out of its initial plane. The outer flange portion (32) beyond the second fold line (24) is provided with a hole (34) for a fixing bolt. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in vehicle mud flaps This invention relates to a mud flap for a vehicle.

A vehicle mud flap is conventionally attached at the wheel arch of a vehicle using a separate metal mounting bracket or clamp. Various designs of mud flap and mounting bracket are known. These designs are in part dictated by the structure of the wheel arch. This structure often takes the form of a wheel arch rim at which the vehicle upper body joins the underbody, and an under-body wheel recess on the inside of said rim. A common design of mud flap thus has an upstanding lateral wing which fixes to the wheel arch rim, and the mounting bracket is used to secure the flap, inwardly of said lateral wing, to the underbody wheel recess. Alternative mounting brackets are in the form of curved metal strips which also fix to the wheel arch rim and project inwardly to provide a further fixing for the mud flap.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved vehicle mud flap and means of mounting thereof.

According to the invention, there is provided a vehicle mud flap moulded with an integral flange which is initially coplanar with the plane of the main portion of the flap and is formed with at least one fold line enabling itto be bent out of said plane to serve as a mounting bracket.

The invention thus provides a mud flap moulded in a single plane but which has a flange which, in use, can be folded out of this plane to produce a three dimensional configuration which enables direct mounting to a vehicle wheel arch.

The invention therefore enables the conventionally used separate metal mounting bracket to be dispensed with.

In a preferred arrangement, the mud flap has two fold lines enabling the flange to be twice bent out of said plane to produce a three dimensional contour suited to the shape of the vehicle to which the mud flap is to be fitted.

An embodiment of vehicle mud flap in accordance with the invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the relevant portion of a mud flap in planar view; Figure 2 is a cross-section of the line 2-2 of Figure 1, illustrating detail of a mounting flange; and Figure 3 shows the mounting flange when bent ready for use.

In Figure 1, the illustrated face of the mud flap is the face which is visibly exposed, i.e. faces rearwardly behind the wheel, when the flap is mounted.at a wheel arch.

The flap is conventionally moulded of a synthetic rubber with a main portion 10 having stiffening ribs 12. At one side the main portion has an upstanding wing 14. The contoured upper and inner edge of the main portion 10 is thickened, as indicated at 16, and atthewing 14thisthickened portion includes two fixing holes 18, by means of which the wing can be directly secured to the wheel arch rim using suitable fixing members such as nuts and bolts.

Inwardly of the wing 14, the contoured upper and inner edge is integrally moulded with an upstanding flange 20, initially coplanar with the main portion 10 and projecting therefrom in generally the same direction as the direction of the length of the wing.

The flange 20, as will be apparent by reference to Figure 2, is formed with two fold lines, 22 and 24 respectively. The first fold line 22 is disposed along the flange edge adjoining the main flap portion 10; the second fold line 24 extends between the flange side edges 26, 28 intermediate the first fold line 22 and the free outer edge 30 of the flange. This latter fold line 24 extends at a small angle of inclination, sayS to 10 degrees, to the front fold line 22, and defines an outer flange portion 32 which is provided with a hole 34 for a fixing member.

In use, the flange 20 is twice bent out of the plane of the main portion 10, as indicated in Figure 3, thereby to form a mounting flange which can be secured, as by a nut and bolt, to the underbody wheel recess. Thus, by means of such folding, a three dimensional shape is formed which readily adapts itself to the wheel arch contour of the vehicle.

A separate metal mounting bracket is thereby rendered unnecessary.

The mounting flange 20 will now be described in more detail. The fold lines 22, 24 are constituted by narrow and relatively deep grooves, respectively formed in opposite faces of the flange, thereby producing two lines of reduced thickness, also respectively at opposite faces of the flange, readily enabling folding in one sense about one such line and folding in the opposite sense about the other such line. The groove defining the fold line 22 is formed into the face of the mud flap visible in Figure 1; the other groove defining the fold line 24 is formed into the other face.

In an embodiment in which the flange 20 has a thickness about 7.5 mm, the thickness at the fold lines at the bottom of the grooves is conveniently 2.5 to 5.0 mm, i.e. the thickness at the fold lines is about one third to two thirds of the total flange thickness.

The walls of the grooves are conveniently inclined each at an angle of about 10 degrees to the plane normal to the faces of the flange. The fixing hole 34 may be formed with a central membrane 36, say of 0.25 to 0.75 mm thickness, to be penetrated by a fixing bolt, and have a diameter of 5.0 to 5.25 mm on one side of said member, with an outward taper (say 5 degress) giving a slightly increasing diameter on the other side, into which the fixing bolt will be entered.

Although not shown, the flange 20 will preferably have strengthening ribs to reduce risk of shearing or tearing when, in use, the hinge formed by a fold is in compression or in tension.

The embodiment above described can be modified in various ways within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In particular, the shape of the mud flap, especially the contour of its upper and inner edge surface on which the integral flange is provided, may be modified to suit differing constructions of vehicle wheel arch at which the mud flap is to be fitted, and the position of the integral flange along such contoured upper and inner edge may also be varied as necessary to enable a ready and simple fixing. For differing shapes of flap and positions of the flange, the position of its fold lines may also be altered as convenient. In the embodiment described, the respective fold lines are formed for folding in opposite senses, but it is possible that folding twice in the same sense may sometimes provide for more convenient fixing. it is also practicable to form the fold lines, by means of opposed but rather more V-shaped grooves which leave lines of reduced thickness in the median plane of the flap, so that the option exists of folding in either sense at either fold line. Finally, in some instances it may be possible to form a three-dimensionat configuration, suited to the contour of the vehicle to which the mud flap is to be fitted, by moulding the flanged mud flap with only a single fold line.

Claims (14)

1. A vehicle mud flap moulded with an integral flange which is initially coplanar with the plane of the main portion of the flap and is formed with at least one fold line enabling it to be bent out of said plane to serve as a mounting bracket.

2. A vehicle mud flap according to claim 1, having two fold lines enabling the flange to be twice bent out of said plane to produce a three dimensional contour suited to the shape of the vehicle to which the mud flap is to be fitted.

3. Avehicle mud flap according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the integral flange is moulded with an aperture for receiving a fixing member.

4. A vehicle mud flap according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the flange has an edge integral with the main flap portion, two free side edges and a free edge opposite the first mentioned edge, and the fold line or fold lines each extend between the two side edges.

5. A vehicle mud flap according to claim 4, wherein one fold line is located at or adjacent the first mentioned edge.

6. Avehicle mud flap according to claim 5, wherein a second fold line extends between the two side edges spaced from and at an inclination to the first fold line.

7. A vehicle mud flap according to claim 6 when appendant to claim 3, wherein the fixing aperture is formed in the edge portion of the flange between the second fold line and the said free opposite edge.

8. A vehicle mud flap according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the or each fold line is constituted by a groove leaving lines of reduced thickness along which the flange can be folded.

9. A avehicle mud flap according to claim 8, wherein the or each fold line of reduced thickness is disposed at a face of the flange.

10. Avehicle mud flap according to claim 9, wherein respective fold lines of reduced thickness are disposed at opposite faces of the flap.

11. A vehicle mud flap according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the main flap portion has a lateral wing having a fixing apertures by which the flap can be secured to the rim of a wheel arch, an outer edge leading into one edge of said wing, a bottom edge, and a contoured edge extending from said bottom edge to the other edge of said wing, the flange being formed on said contoured edge.

12. A vehicle mud flap according to claim 11, wherein the flange initially projects outwardly from said contoured edge in generally the same direction as the direction of the length of the wing.

13.A vehicle mud flap according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the integral flange has strengthening ribs.

14. A vehicle mud flap substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.