Amudflap,mud guard, orrally flap is used in combination with thevehicle fender to protect the vehicle, passengers, other vehicles, and pedestrians frommud and other flyingdebris thrown into the air by a rotatingtire on a wheeled vehicle. A mudflap is typically made from a flexible material such asrubber that is not easily damaged by contact with flying debris, the tire, or theroad surface.
On bicycles, a mudflap is called a "spoiler".
Mudflaps can be large rectangular sheets suspended behind the tires, or may be small molded lips below the rear of the vehicle'swheel wells. Mudflaps can be aerodynamically engineered, utilizing shaping, louvers, or vents to improve airflow and to lower drag.[1]
While some flaps are plain, in the colour of rubber, many contain companylogos, other art, oradvertisements. One common feature is themudflap girl, a woman'ssilhouette.[2]
In the United States, mudflap regulations vary from state to state.[3]
Aerodynamic mudflaps are engineered withlouvers or ventilated slats to improve airflow, reduce sidespray, and decreaseaerodynamic drag, to improvefuel efficiency.
Supercomputing technology applied to the problem ofsemi-trailer truck drag has helped to validate such aerodynamic improvements.[4] Traditional solid truck mudflaps can increase drag, but a study by theUT-Chattanooga SimCenter indicated slatted mudflaps can reduce drag more than 8 percent, making the truck's drag coefficient comparable to one without any mudflaps.[5][6][failed verification][7][8]
A further advantage of the design is the heat-venting capacity of aerodynamically optimized mudflaps. The improved airflow promotes the quick release of otherwise recirculated water and air from the fenderwell while improving performance by cooling the tires and brakes.
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