WO1990002073A1

WO1990002073A1 - Mud guard

Info

Publication number: WO1990002073A1
Application number: PCT/AU1989/000346
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Francis Platt-Hepworth
Original assignee: Custom Auto Crafts Pty. Ltd.
Priority date: 1988-08-22
Filing date: 1989-08-16
Publication date: 1990-03-08

Abstract

A mud guard (10) for a vehicle comprises an arcuate member, which is usually at least the width of a wheel, is adapted to cover a portion of the radial surface of a wheel, an inner surface of the arcuate member carries a plurality of baffles (12), each of which extends around the inner surface parallel to an outer radial edge of the arcuate member. The baffles serve to suppress the spraying of liquid when a vehicle's wheels move over a wet surface.

Description

MUD GUARD This invention relates to mud guards for use on vehicles, in particular to mud guards adapted to suppress spray produced by the movement of a vehicle's wheels over wet surfaces.

It is well known that the movement of the wheels of a vehicle over a wet surface causes the production of a spray of the liquid that has wet the surface. The extent of spray production will depend on such factors as the speed of the vehicle over the surface, the nature and extent of the liquid on the surface over which the vehicle passes and the dimensions of the vehicle's tyres and their tread pattern. Generally, the liquid will be water and the tyre dimensions may be broadly classified as suitable for trucks or passenger vehicle use.

In relation to passenger vehicles, the amount of spray produced and the extent it is projected is usually considerably less than in the case of trucks and in any event is adequately controlled by effective body design around a vehicle's wheels and where necessary, through the use of mud flaps and the like.

In the case of trucks, the amount of spray produced and the distance it is projected can act to substantially reduce the visibility of a following vehicle. This is clearly hazardous and unsatisfactory for the driver of a following vehicle.

This problem has been recognized and numerous attempts have been made to adequately suppress the generation of spray by. truck wheels through the use of a variety of mud guards and/or mud flaps. In most of these cases, the mud guards comprise an arcuate member adapted to cover, to a varying extent, the radial surface of a tyre. To this mud guard may be added a flexible or rigid flap that extends downwardly from the outer, lower rear edge of the mud guard. The arcuate member may have a cover added to extend between the outer edges in a manner so as to partially cover the outer face of a tyre.

It is also known to provide^" on an outer radial edge, a continuous flexible filament skirting. The filament in the skirting projects downwardly from the outer edge and acts to absorb water spraying perpendicularly from a tyre to deflect it downwardly to the road surface.

The present inventor has recognized the need for a mud guard, particularly for use on trucks, that will effectively suppress spray whilst being robust in use.

Accordingly, the present invention consists in a mud guard comprising an arcuate member adapted to cover a portion of the radial surface of a wheel, an inner surface of the arcuate member having disposed therein a plurality of baffles, each baffle extending parallel to an outer radial edge of said member.

The overall dimensions of the mud guard will be selected to cover a sufficient portion of the radial surface of a tyre. In this regard, it will be readily appreciated that the width of the mud guard should be at least the width and preferably more than a wheel. Naturally, in those trucks that have a plurality of wheels on an axle, it is desirable that a single mud guard of the invention be dimensioned to adequately extend the full width of all the wheels.

The baffles are preferably equally spaced apart around the inner surface of the arcuate member. In this regard, the present inventor has found that^' as the pitch of the baffles is increased in excess of about 60 millimetres, there is little improvement in the spray suppressant effect of the inventive mud guard. Additionally, as the pitch is reduced from 60 millimetres, the spray suppressant effect increases until at a pitch of about 25 millimetres, there is no further improvement. Similarly, the present inventor has found that the downwardly projecting length of a baffle is optimally, no more than about 15 millimetres. Lengths greater than this provide no practical improvement in spray suppressant effect. Desirably, the baffles will extend substantially around the radius of the arcuate member.

The mud guards of the invention may, in a preferred embodiment, be provided with a channel extending substantially the full length of at least one of the outer edges of the arcuate member. The advantage of this embodiment is that- a length of continuous flexible filament skirting may be inserted into the channel and retained therein. Suitable skirting is described in GB 2074109.

A variety of materials may be used to form the inventive mud guards, including high and low density polyethylene, polyurethane, polypropylene, fibre-glass, aluminium and other sheet metal.

For ease of manufacture and quality of finish, the mud guards of the invention are desirably formed by injection moulding using thermoplastic or reactive resins examples of which are polyethylene, polypropylene and polyurethane. If formed from these materials, the continuous flexible filament skirting may be retained in the channel using stainless steel staples. Depending on the dimensions of an inventive mud guard, the nature of the material from which it is formed and for aesthetic reasons, a plurality of ribs may be radially disposed on an outer surface of the mud guard. In use, a mud guard of the invention will for the best spray suppressant effect, be fitted to all wheels of a truck. In the case of an articulated vehicle, the mud guards will be mounted on the chassis of the trailer whilst in the case of the prime mover, generally to the rear wheels only. In order to allow for the full understanding of the invention, an embodiment will now be described in which: -

Fig. 1 is a perspective view; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a mud guard of the invention.

The mud guard, generally shown as reference numeral 10, comprises an arcuate member 11 having on an inner surface a plurality of radially extending baffles 12 and on an outer surface, three radially extending ribs 13.

The baffles 12 extend substantially for the radial length of the arcuate member 11 and are equally spaced apart. Each baffle 12 projects inwardly.

On both outer edges of the arcuate member 11, there are channels 14 adapted to receive a continuous flexible filament skirting. In this particular embodiment, which is formed from- polyethylene, the skirting is held in place in the channels by passing stainless steel staples through the skirting into the channels.

The baffles 12 are at a pitch of 25 millimetres whilst their length is 15 millimetres.

Claims

CLAIMS: -

1. A mud guard for a vehicle comprising an arcuate member adapted to cover a portion of the radial surface of a wheel, an inner surface of the arcuate member having disposed therein a plurality of baffles, each baffle extending parallel to an outer radial edge of said member.

2. A mud guard as in claim 1 wherein the width of the arcuate member is more than a wheel to which it is to be fitted.

3. A mud guard as in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the baffles are equally spaced apart around the inner surface of the arcuate member.

4. A mud guard as in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the pitch of the baffles is between 25 and 60 millimetres.

5. A mud guard as in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the downwardly projecting length of the baffles is no more than 15 millimetres.

6. A mud guard as in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the arcuate member is provided with a channel extending substantially the full length of at least one of the outer edges of the arcuate member.

7. A mud guard as in claim 6 wherein a length of continuous flexible filament skirting is inserted into and retained in the channel.

8. A mud guard as in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the arcuate member has a plurality of ribs radially disposed on an outer surface thereof.