SPRAY SUPPRESSION ON MOTOR VEHICLES

摘要

SPRAY SUPPRESSION ON MOTOR VEHICLES A method of suppressing spray thrown up by motor vehicles as they travel at speed along a wet roadway is disclosed wherein a strip of flexible porous material is secured to the vehicle or a part thereof in the path of the spray. The strip is several times longer than it is wide and would normally only be a few millimetres wide but many centimetres long and is preferably formed from aligned bristles held together along one edge of the strip by a bead. The bead may be extruded around the ends of the bristles and is preferably shaped so as to provide means by means of which the strip is attached to the vehicle. The bead may, however, be of other constructions. The strip may comprise a valance strip designed substantially to close off the space between a vehicle mudguard and the periphery of the tyre surrounded by the mudguard but additionally or alternatively a strip may be provided at the rear of each wheel or wheel set extending from a rear generally horizontal edge of the mudguard into close proximity with the road surface behind the wheel somewhat in the form of a mud flap and addtionally or alternatively a further strip may be provided extending inwardly across the mudguard in close proximity with the tread of a tyre. The strip may be of composite construction but a bristle arrangement is preferred since adjacent bristles can flex relative to each other and hence do not become clogged and by their very nature will tend to allow the passage of air therethrough but prevent water droplets passing therethrough.