US-20260125116-A1 - Heavy-Vehicle Mud Flap

US20260125116A1US 20260125116 A1US20260125116 A1US 20260125116A1US-20260125116-A1

Abstract

A mud flap comprises an injection-molded unitary body of flexible rubber or polymer material including a mounting flange at the top that is adapted for securing the mud flap to a vehicle and a generally planar mud flap body depending from the mounting flange, the mud flap body having a front face formed with a pattern of parallel ribs extending in a diagonal orientation across the front surface. The body of the mud flap may be attached to the mounting flange by a joining region that has strengthening band with increased material thickness extending horizontally across the width of the mud flap. Increased stiffness can also be provided by optional vertical fins that may be formed on the front of the mud flap body, overlapping the same front surface carrying the diagonal ribs.

Inventors

Christian Von Schassen

Assignees

Von Pace Wholesale Pty Ltd

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251104
Priority Date: 20241104

Claims (11)

1 . An injection molded mud flap with a front-facing, multi-layered, patterned structure comprising overlapping diagonal ribs and vertical vanes formed on a forward facing base sheet surface, wherein the vertical vanes protrude substantially greater than the diagonal ribs.
2 . A mud flap comprising an injection-molded unitary body of flexible rubber or polymer material, the mud flap including a mounting flange at the top that is adapted for securing it to a vehicle and a generally planar mud flap body depending from the mounting flange, the mud flap body being attached to the mounting flange by a joining region that has strengthening band with increased material thickness extending horizontally across the width of the mud flap.
3 . A mud flap comprising an injection-molded unitary body of flexible rubber or polymer material including a mounting flange at the top that is adapted for securing the mud flap to a vehicle and a generally planar mud flap body depending from the mounting flange, the mud flap body having a front face formed with a pattern of parallel ribs extending in a diagonal orientation across the front surface.
4 . A mud flap according to claim 3 , wherein the front of the mud flap body has different diagonally oriented patterns of ribs on the left and right sides thereof.
5 . A mud flap according to claim 4 , wherein the left and right patterns of ribs have mirror image symmetry.
6 . A mud flap according to claim 3 , wherein the mud flap body has a sheet material thickness, and the ribs protrude from the sheet material front surface to a height less than the sheet material thickness.
7 . A mud flap according to claim 6 , wherein the height of the ribs is about one half of the sheet material thickness.
8 . A mud flap according to claim 3 , wherein the front of the mud flap is provided with a plurality of integrally formed vertical fins spaced across the width of the mud flap and extending substantially from top to bottom.
9 . A mud flap according to claim 8 , wherein the vertical fins protrude from the sheet material front surface to a height substantially greater than the ribs.
10 . A mud flap according to claim 8 , wherein the mud flap body is attached to the mounting flange by a joining region that has strengthening band with increased material thickness extending horizontally across the width of the mud flap.
11 . A mud flap according to claim 10 , wherein the top ends of the vertical fins at least partially overlap with the horizontal strengthening band.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to Australian Application No. 2024903596 filed 4 Nov. 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to mud flaps and, in particular, to mud flaps for heavy vehicles such as trucks, semitrailers, articulated vehicles, and the like. BACKGROUND Mud flaps are commonly employed on trucks and other large vehicles to block the spray of water, mud, and other debris from wheels on a wet roadway and prevent that spray from impairing the vision of the drivers of other vehicles. Indeed, in many jurisdictions the use of appropriate mud flaps on heavy vehicles is mandated, for the protection of other road users. Such flaps are typically in the form of relatively large, rectangular, deflecting panels which are hung vertically behind the wheels to block the spray and debris thrown up from the road surface. In order to be effective in blocking spray and debris from a vehicle wheel, the mud flap must, at least substantially, remain in its vertical position behind the wheel, otherwise it presents a reduced barrier. That means the mud flap structure needs to have sufficient stiffness and/or weight to remain in place notwithstanding significant forces from wind currents and the like. Mud flaps with insufficient stiffness and/or weight are prone to “sailing”. If the mud flap is made from a material is relatively stiff then water and debris impacting the mud flap is more likely to ricochet off the surface onto the roadway, which is undesirable. A mud flap made of a stiff material such as metal can be thin, strong and light, but ricochets are a concern and metal structures can be damaged by bending. Stiff non-metal materials, on the other hand, may be brittle and therefore not good against impacts and with respect to cracking around the mount. It should also be recognized that stiff mud flaps with no ‘give’ generally perform poorly in an aerodynamic sense, resulting in increased drag on the vehicle. It is known to combat aerodynamic drag by having mud flaps with holes/apertures to allow airflow through but not road debris. Such apertures can make the mud flap more susceptible to damage, however, unless advanced materials or composite structures are used—potentially increasing costs. Mudflaps made from flexible materials can better absorb impacts and are less likely to sustain damage around the mounting flange from repeated bending of the mud flap in use. A common mud flap construction comprises an appropriately shaped (e.g. rectangular) piece of thick, flexible material, such as a thick rubber sheet. Thinner flexible materials can be used with metal stiffening structures but this can increase costs and the thinner material may be subject to damage from punctures and tears. Usually, a mud flap is supported from a structure of the vehicle by a plurality of bolts, that extend through attachment holes formed adjacent the upper edge of the mud flap. Over a period of time, however, the mud flap can tend to fatigue and weaken, particularly around the area of the attachment holes and the nearby section of the flap, which can cause the mud flap to tear away from the bolts. Besides requiring replacement, the damaged mud flap can tear completely away from the vehicle while the vehicle is in use creating a significant risk of damage or injury. Another problem that often occurs with many known mud flap designs is commonly referred to in the art as “sailing”. Sailing is the tendency of a mud flap to swing or flap rearwardly during forward movement of the vehicle, and can result in uncovering at least part of the wheel, thus allowing liquid, slush, rocks, etc. to be thrown rearwardly from the vehicle without obstruction. Efforts to reduce sailing of a mud flap may involve affixing rigid backing materials or inserting stiffening members in cavities of the mud flap. Other mud flap designs have apertures that allow air flow through. These approaches, however, are generally not fully satisfactory because they increase complexity in the manufacturing process, and therefore increase cost. Moreover, it is desirable that the mud flap retain sufficient flexibility and toughness so as to be able to withstand impacts, cold temperatures or the like. With the foregoing as context, there is need for a mud flap for heavy vehicles and for other applications that resists tearing or cracking in the vicinity of the mounting structure, and that reduces the tendency of the mud flap to sail without excessively increasing the weight of the mud flap. SUMMARY A mud flap according to one aspect of the invention comprises an injection-molded unitary body of flexible rubber or polymer material including a mounting flange at the top that is adapted for securing the mud flap to a vehicle and a generally planar mud flap body depending from the mounting flange, the mud flap body being attached to the mounting flange by a joining