Running Board Mud Flap with Hinged Obstacle Deflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mud flaps do not effectively deflect around obstacles and provide comprehensive protection for vehicles with running boards, as they are typically attached to wheel wells and lack a rigidifying structure to handle encounters with road obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A mud flap with a flexible polymer body, including a flap portion, a bracket portion, and a hinge portion, is designed to be attached to a vehicle's running board, featuring a vertical member with a hinge that allows the flap to rotate around obstacles and a notch for reinforcing the flap's convex surface, along with through-holes and plugs for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a mud flap is made flexible to conform to wheel well surfaces, then it can be easily installed and conform to curved surfaces, but it cannot effectively deflect around obstacles and provides insufficient protection
Solution Approach 1:
The mud flap is divided into a bracket portion and a flap portion connected by a hinge portion, allowing the flap to rotate independently around obstacles while the bracket remains fixed to the running board
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge portion enables the flap portion to dynamically rotate around obstacles such as rocks, transitioning from a static flexible flap to a dynamic protective barrier that maintains protection effectiveness
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a mud flap is attached to the wheel well, then it can protect the vehicle body, but it cannot provide comprehensive protection for vehicles with running boards where passenger seats are elevated
Solution Approach 1:
The mud flap design with a running board attachment bracket and hinge mechanism provides universal protection for both conventional wheel well applications and elevated running board configurations, adapting to different vehicle types and mounting locations
3Ease of manufacture
If a mud flap uses a simple flexible polymer structure, then it is easy to manufacture, but it lacks rigidifying structure to handle encounters with road obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The mud flap is segmented into a rigid bracket portion for mounting and a flexible flap portion for protection, connected by a hinge that allows the flap to rotate around obstacles while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge portion enables dynamic rotation of the flap around obstacles, transforming the simple flexible structure into an obstacle-handling mechanism that maintains protection effectiveness without requiring complex rigidifying structures
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mud flap effectively deflects around obstacles and provides enhanced protection for the vehicle undercarriage by rotating around the hinge and securely attaching to the running board, optimizing the interception of splash and debris, even when conventional wheel well mud flaps are insufficient.
Implementation Method 1
The flap portion rotates as a unit around the hinge portion responsive to a shear force aligned to the x direction and impinging on the flap portion
Implementation Method 2
Recent mud flaps or splash guards usually are molded of a resilient polymer and are generally flexible
Data Source
AI summary
A mud flap is attachable to a selected group of through-holes of a vehicle running board. Plugs clamp to inclined surfaces of the through-holes, thereby firmly affixing a bracket portion of the integrally molded mud flap body to the running board. A flap portion of the mud flap body is connected to the bracket portion of the mud flap body only by a hinge portion. The hinge portion has a straight front surface, a straight rear surface and a thickness that is less than the overall thickness of the mud flap body. The flap portion has at least one wall portion that does not conform to any yz plane, stiffening the flap portion and inducing it to rotate around the hinge portion as a unit when a front-to-rear shear force impinges on the flap portion. A notch may be formed to interrupt an otherwise convexly curved rear flap portion surface so to receive a downwardly depending running board reinforcing member when the flap portion flexes out of its rest position.