Splash Flap Coupling for Seamless Spray Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing splash flaps for lorries often have reduced functionality due to ineffective coupling zones between spray reducing and liquid decelerating means, leading to incomplete protection against spray and water retention.
Innovation Solution
The splash flap features complementary coupling parts with projecting fingers and recesses that form a continuous interacting surface without visible joints, using injection-molded plastic materials and sheet profiles with V-grooves, along with tubular connecting members for secure mounting to the mudguard, enhancing the integration of spray reducing and liquid decelerating mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If splash flaps are mounted internally of the mudguard with spray reducing means, then spray reduction is improved, but coupling zones appear where functionality is reduced or lost
Solution Approach 1:
The splash flap is divided into multiple modular parts (first, second, third, and fourth parts) that can be separately manufactured and assembled. Each part contains integrated spray reducing means, and the segmentation allows for precise coupling mechanisms (projecting fingers and recesses) that maintain functionality at joints while enabling modular assembly and replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The spray reducing means are merged with the splash flap structure itself, forming an integrated unit where the spray reducing edges are part of the flap parts. The projecting fingers and recesses are also merged into the flap parts, creating a unified component that combines structural support, spray reduction, and coupling functions.
2Area of stationary object
If multiple splash flap parts are interconnected to cover larger areas, then spray protection coverage is improved, but visible joints and coupling zones reduce effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The splash flap parts are designed to nest together through the coupling mechanism where projecting fingers of one part insert into recesses of adjacent parts. This nesting arrangement creates overlapping coverage areas and ensures that spray reducing edges from multiple parts work together continuously, eliminating gaps at coupling zones while maintaining large overall protection coverage.
Data Source
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AI summary
A splash flap, particularly for lorries, of the kind including one or more splash flap parts (18) adapted to be mounted internally in a curved mudguard (2), and a splash flap part (6) adapted to be mounted on a mudguard part (4) depending from a lower rearmost edge part of the mudguard (2), the splash flap parts (6, 18) including spray reducing and/or liquid impeding means that are adapted to decelerate and retain water sprayed up from the wheels and to counteract formation of water mist from the splash flap and to conduct retained water down from the splash flap, wherein the splash flap parts (6, 18) include mutually complementing coupling parts (20, 22) such that respective spray reducing and/or liquid decelerating means of respective splash flap parts (6, 18) operatively and without visible joints can be coupled together to form a unbroken interacting splash flap surface. By simple measures it hereby becomes possible to achieve a new and improved splash flap where particularly the problems of reduced function of coupling zones between interconnected spray reducing and/or liquid decelerating means can be counteracted in an efficient way.