Reducing Splash and Spray of Trucks and Passenger Cars

The problem of effectively reducing water spray formed by motor vehicles on wet roads remained up to now unsolved.Although numerous experimental investigations have been published, and comprehensive patent literature is available, the suggested solutions appear to be problematic under real-life conditions.

In this paper, a configuration applicable both to commercial vehicles and passenger cars is proposed, which is restricted exclusively to the wings, and - with today's design principles - does not require any special advance preparation. A grooved channel profile in the wing causes the water spray to be reduced considerably without affecting the vehicle's suitability for everday use.

An optoelectronic measuring instrument which is carried along the vehicle, makes it possible to conduct integral water spray measurements over time periods of various length.