SE540645C2 - A wheel housing for a vehicle and a vehicle with such wheel housing - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a wheel housing (3) for a vehicle (1), in particular a heavy goods vehicle, comprising a mudguard (5) and a trim panel (7), wherein the mudguard (5) is arranged to at least partly cover a portion of a wheel (13) arranged in said wheel housing (3), and wherein the trim panel (7) is arranged to at least partly cover a gap defined by a distance between a circumference of the wheel (13) and the mudguard (5). The mudguard (5) and the trim panel (7) are further arranged to be interlocked by means of a snap lock arrangement (41) comprising a first connection element (15) and a second connection element (25), wherein one of the connection elements is arranged on the mudguard (5) and the other corresponding connection element is arranged on the trim panel (7). The invention also relates to a vehicle (1) comprising a wheel housing (3).

Description

A WHEEL HOUSING FOR A VEHICLE AND A VEHICLE WITH SUCH WHEEL HOUSING TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a wheel housing for a vehicle, and a vehicle with such a wheel housing according to the appended claims.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART Wheels of vehicles, such as cars and heavy goods vehicles, require attention when it comes to how the wheels interact with the driving surface as well as the connection to the chassis of the vehicle, which occurs at the wheel housing of said vehicle. The wheel housing partly covers the wheels of the vehicle allowing them to perform actions such as the driving rotation and turning. The wheel housing further needs to protect the other parts of the chassis from the dirt, moisture and potential debris generated by the wheels when interacting with the driving surface. Wheel housings are therefore generally provided with mudguards which covers parts of a circumferential arch around the wheel. Mudguards thereby act as a shield from incoming dirt and moisture being flung up towards the chassis and the cabin when the wheel rotates. However, such mudguards cannot be positioned to close to the circumference of the wheel as the wheel must have room for the movement based on the suspension of the wheel. A gap is therefore always present between the wheel and the mudguard. This gap is not ideal from an aerodynamic point of view and it is therefore desired to at least partly cover said gap. Also, dirt, moisture and potential debris generated by the wheels may be flung up towards the chassis and the cabin due to said gap. As the size of a wheel might vary for the same type of mudguard due to manufacturing reasons, the different sizes of gaps may be covered by an additional element called a trim panel. A trim panel of correct size may thereby be mounted to a mudguard to bridge the described gap instead of manufacture the mudguards to cover the gap directly.

Such a trim panel must be securely attached to the mudguard to avoid falling off as a result of bumps in the road or long exposure of driving the vehicle. The attachment of the two elements must therefore by reliable over a long period of time. The mounting process of a trim panel to a mudguard as known in the art is usually performed by means of different types of fastening elements such as screws, bolts or clasps or similar. This may lead to a time consuming mounting which therefore also increases costs for the manufacturing of such vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Despite prior art there is therefore a need to develop a wheel housing comprising a mudguard and a trim panel which are easy and fast to assemble. There is also a need to develop a wheel housing comprising a mudguard and a trim panel which are reliable and securely attached to each other. Furthermore, there is a need to develop a wheel housing comprising a mudguard and a trim panel wherein the mounting of the trim panel to the mudguard may be performed without additional separate fastening elements and without the use of tools to achieve a fast and cost effective mounting of the wheel housing.

An object of the present invention is thus to provide a wheel housing comprising a mudguard and a trim panel which are easy and fast to assemble. Another object is to provide a wheel housing comprising a mudguard and a trim panel which are reliable and securely attached to each other. A further object of the invention is to provide wheel housing comprising a mudguard and a trim panel wherein the mounting of the trim panel to the mudguard may be performed without additional separate fastening elements and without the use of tools to achieve a fast and cost effective mounting of the wheel housing.

The herein mentioned objects are achieved by a wheel housing comprising a mudguard and a trim panel and a vehicle with such a wheel housing according to the independent claims.

According to an aspect of the invention a wheel housing for a vehicle, in particular a heavy goods vehicle is provided. The wheel housing comprises a mudguard and a trim panel. The mudguard is arranged to at least partly cover a portion of a wheel arranged in said wheel housing, and the trim panel is arranged to at least partly cover a gap defined by a distance between a circumference of the wheel and the mudguard. Further, the mudguard and the trim panel are arranged to be interlocked by means of a snap lock arrangement comprising a first connection element and a second connection element, wherein one of the connection elements is arranged on the mudguard and the other corresponding connection element is arranged on the trim panel.

This has the advantage that the mudguard and the trim panel can be attached to each other without the need to use tools by means of the snap lock arrangement. This further has the advantage that the attachment of the trim panel to the mudguard is fast and therefore cost effective to perform. The cost of such an assembly is further lowered by means of eliminating additional fastening elements, which is beneficial for a manufacturing process of such a wheel housing.

According to another aspect of the invention the first connection element comprises two extending first ribs, an upper first rib and a lower first rib, and the second connection element comprises one extending second rib, wherein the second rib is arranged to be inserted between the two first ribs so as to establish upper and lower contact surfaces between the two first ribs and the second rib.

This has the advantage that the connection elements are simple in their design and therefore easy to both manufacture and use.

According to yet another aspect of the invention the contact surfaces between the first and second ribs comprises snap locking means comprising a plurality of recesses and corresponding extending projections, arranged to interlock with each other.

This has the advantage that the snap locking means are designed in a non-complex way which provides an easy and cost effective arrangement to manufacture. Furthermore, as the contact surfaces and therefore the snap locking means are distributed on both upper and lower sides of the intermediate extending second rib the interlocking of the mudguard and the trim panel is achieved in a secure and reliable manner.

According to a further aspect of the invention each projection comprises a slanting front surface and a locking heel, wherein an angle of the locking heel is in the range of about 70° to about 90° relative to the rib whereon it is situated.

This has the advantage that the slanting front surface provides an easy way for the extending ribs to be fitted together as the contact surfaces will be established and slide upwards said slanting surface. Thereafter the angled locking heel provides a secure attachment of the projection within the corresponding recess which is beneficial as the interlocking of the two snap locking means thereby is established and upheld in a likewise secure manner.

According to an even further aspect of the invention each projection may be U-shaped, wherein the locking heel is arranged at a base of the U-shape.

This has the advantage that a less bulky projection can be provided due to no material being needed within the U-shape. This is beneficial as it brings down the manufacturing costs while still providing a stable projection which can abut edges of each corresponding recess in which each projection is inserted by means the outer sides of the U-shape.

According to an aspect of the invention the second rib is a staggered rib, comprising at least one upper portion and at least one lower portion, wherein the at least one upper portion comprises upper contact surfaces between the upper first rib and the second rib and the at least one lower portion comprises lower contact surfaces between the lower first rib and the second rib.

This has the advantage that the staggered shape of the second rib provides mechanical stability using less material compared to a thicker flat rib. This is beneficial as it brings down manufacturing costs for the snap lock arrangement. A further advantage is that the upper and lower portions of the staggered rib are easier to flex compared to if the second rib would be solid and extending from the upper to the lower first rib. When a staggered rib is being inserted between the two first ribs the upper portion may flex downwards and the lower portion may flex upwards during the initiated interlocking of the snap lock arrangement. Thus the total flex needed is divided between the first and second ribs which lower the mechanical stress on the two first ribs. Thereby the interlocking of the snap lock arrangement is easier to initiate without diminishing the mechanical integrity of the first two ribs.

According to another aspect of the invention the two first ribs are extending longer than the second rib extends, and wherein the first ribs further comprises at least one inner protrusion, arranged to bridge the two first ribs, wherein a front end of the second rib is arranged to abut against said protrusion when the second rib is fully inserted between the two first ribs.

This has the advantage that the fitting of the first two ribs and the second rib is easier to manage than compared to if the first and second ribs having an equal length. As tolerances are always an issue when manufacturing form fitted mechanical components, it is easier to manage such fit tolerances by means of limiting the fit tolerances to the inner protrusions rather than having the front end of the second rib being fully in contact with a surface being intermediate of the two first ribs. If the fit of the two first ribs and the second rib is not perfect after manufacturing of the snap lock arrangement, a following process step adjusting the fit of the components is faster and therefore more cost effective if less material needs to be exposed to a follow-up process step.

According to yet another aspect of the invention the first connection element is arranged on an outer edge of the mudguard and the second connection element is arranged on an inner edge of the trim panel.

This has the advantage that first connection element which requires more material to manufacture is arranged on the mudguard. This is beneficial as the mudguards, being more complex in their design may be used for several types and models of wheels. To adjust for the different sizes and shapes of gaps, being the result of different shapes and sizes of wheel mounted in a specific mudguard, a different trim panel may be mounted to said mudguard. As the trim panels are a less complex element compared to the mudguard, it is more cost effective to change trim panel than to change a mudguard. It is thus further cost effective to manufacture the trim panel with the one second rib as the manufacturing processes of the various different trim panels are made less complex and requires less materials to be manufactured. Also, if for example the trim panels are moulded, a smooth surface opposite to the surface provided with the projection of the trim panel is easier to achieve when only one rib, the second rib, is arranged on the trim panel due to a lesser mass of material solidifying behind said surface.

According to another aspect of the invention the first connection element is arranged on an inner edge of the trim panel and the second connection element is arranged on an outer edge of the mudguard.

This has the advantage that the outer edge of the mudguard may be designed with smaller dimensions and thus less material is needed to manufacture the mudguard. This is beneficial for application where the dimensions of the mudguard are of importance, such might be the case for smaller types of vehicles.

According to a further aspect of the invention a vehicle is provided, which vehicle comprises a wheel housing according to the present invention.

This has the advantage that a vehicle with a wheel housing is provided, which wheel housing is cost effective to manufacture and fast and easy to assemble, without the need for tools for the assemble process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Below is a description of, as examples, preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which: Figure 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle provided with a wheel housing comprising a mudguard and a trim panel according to the invention, Figure 2 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a mudguard provided with a first connection element comprising two extending first ribs according to the invention, Figure 3 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a trim panel provided with a second connection element comprising one extending second rib according to the invention, Figure 4 schematically illustrates a plan view of snap lock arrangement comprising a recess and a projection, interlocked with each other according to the invention, Figure 5 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a recess and a projection, interlocked with each other according to the invention, and Figure 6 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional side view of first and second connection elements interlocked with each other according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle 1 provided with a wheel housing 3 comprising a mudguard 5 and a trim panel 7 according to the invention. The vehicle 1 shown in figure 1 further comprises a chassis 9, a cabin 11 and three wheels 13. In this example only the front wheel 13 is covered with a mudguard 5 and trim panel 7 according to the invention but all three wheels 13 can of course have such mudguards 5 and trim panels 7. The mudguard 5 is not directly seen in figure 1 as it is located behind, and therefore covered by, the trim panel 7. The main function of the mudguard 5 and the trim panel 7 is to act as shields for the chassis 9 and the cabin 11, shielding them from dirt and water being flung up from the road or ground by means of the driving rotation of the wheel 13. The trim panel 7, being the element placed the furthest out towards the surrounding environment, further has the additional function of affecting the aerodynamics of the vehicle 1. As the suspension (not shown) of the vehicle 1 holds the wheel 13 at a distance from the mudguard 5, creating a gap between the two, the airflow around the vehicle 1, and therefore the wheel 13, generated by the driving speed, may flow into said gap and cause turbulence and resistance. The shape and design of the trim panel 7 may therefore be used to lower said turbulence and resistance to in turn lower the fuel consumption of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, as the trim panel 7 is the object seen from outside of a vehicle 1, it is also desirable for the trim panel 7 to have a pleasant design from an esthetical point of view.

Figure 2 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a mudguard 5 provided with a first connection element 15 comprising of two extending first ribs 17 according to the invention. The mudguard 5 depicted in figure 2 is arranged to cover a portion of a wheel 13, as shown in figure 1, when said wheel 13 is mounted in the wheel housing 3. Thereby the mudguard 5 will act as a shield for mud, dirt and water being flung against the chassis 9 and the cabin 11 situated above the mudguard 5, as shown in figure 1, when the wheel housing 3 is assembled to said chassis 9. The mudguard 5 may be of another shape and size than depicted to cover a longer or a shorter arch over a wheel 13 without deviating from the inventive concept of the invention. As seen in figure 2, the two extending first ribs 17 are arranged on an outer edge 19 of the mudguard 5. Further, the two extending first ribs 15, being an upper first rib 17’ and a lower first rib 17”, comprises first snap locking means 21 in the form of a plurality of recesses 23 which are to accommodate respective second snap locking means in the form of projections situated on a respective second connection element, wherein the projections are arranged to fit said recesses 23 (a second connection element comprising projections is shown in figure 3). The recesses 23 are in this example of the invention through holes in the two first ribs 17 but may also be indentations or similar in said first ribs 17.

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a trim panel 7 provided with a second connection element 25 comprising one extending second rib 27 according to the invention. The trim panel 7 depicted in figure 3 is shaped in regards to size and shape to fit to the mudguard seen in figure 2. The second connection element 25 in the form of the extending second rib 27 is in this example of the invention a staggered rib. The staggered rib in this example comprises a plurality of upper portions 29 and a plurality of lower portions 31. Each upper portion 29 comprises an upper contact surface 33, arranged to abut an upper first rib 17’ and each lower portion 31 comprises a lower contact surface 35, arranged to abut a lower first rib 17”, when the second rib 27 is being inserted between two first ribs 17’, 17”, such as the upper and lower first ribs 17’, 17” shown in figure 2. Further, each upper and lower contact surfaces 33, 35 of the second rib 27 comprises second snap locking means 37 in the form of an extending projection 39, the projections 39 of the upper portions 29 extending in a direction essentially outwards and towards a corresponding recess 23 of the upper first rib 17’ of the mudguard 5 as seen in figure 2. The term outwards is meant to be viewed as outwards in regards to the arched shape of the wheel housing. Respectively, the projections 39 of the lower portions 31 extend in a direction towards corresponding recesses 23 arranged in the lower first rib 17”, shown in figure 2. By having a staggered shape, the second rib 27 will further be more flexible without losing mechanical stability. Both the upper and lower portions 29, 31 will be able to flex inwards at the same time as the two first ribs 17 flex outwards when the first and second snap locking means 15, 25 are coupled together. Thereby the flex needed to slide the projections 39 into the recesses 23 is divided by the first and second ribs 17, 27 resulting in that no rib alone must be able to flex the needed amount. For a more detailed description of a snap lock arrangement 41 comprising the first and second snap locking means 21, 37, further see the description with reference to figures 4-6. Furthermore, the staggered shape gives mechanical stability to the second rib 27 which hinders the rib 27 from bending or breaking when exposed to forces acting on the assembled wheel housing 3. The staggered shape of the second rib 27 may vary from having rounded bends to have more sharp angled bends in the rib 27 without deviating from the inventive concept of the invention. The total number of upper and lower portions 29, 31 may also vary depending on the size of the mudguard 5 and the trim panel 7, which naturally may vary depending on the size of a vehicle 1 for which they are manufactured. The staggered rib in the embodiments herein may also be referred to as a corrugated rib.

Both the mudguard 5 and the trim panel 7 may be made of a polymer material such as a strong and wear resistant plastic material, but may also be made of metallic or composite materials. When made of a plastic material, the mudguard 5 and the trim panel 7 are usually moulded or casted wherein the non-complex design of the snap lock arrangement 41 according to the invention is beneficial as the designs are easy to implement into moulds and casts.

When assembling the mudguard 5 shown in figure 2 and the trim panel 7 shown in figure 3, the snap lock arrangement 41, comprising of the first and second ribs 17, 27 with the recesses 23 and projections 39 respectively, is interlocked by inserting the second rib 27 in between the two first ribs 17. The projections 39 of the second rib 27 further comprises a slanting front surface (shown in more detail in figure 5) which assists in getting the two first ribs 17 to slide over the projections 39 until the recesses 23 align with the projections 39 and the snap lock arrangement 41 interlocks. Such an assembly is thereby achieved, which is securely attached and mechanically stable, and is achievable without the use of additional separate fastening elements. Furthermore, the assembly of the mudguard 5 and the trim panel 7 is performed without the need for tools which makes the process fast and easy to perform.

It should be noted the examples of the invention shown in figure 2 and 3 are designed with the first connection element 15, being the two first ribs 17, arranged on the mudguard 5 and the second connection element 25, being the second rib 27, arranged on the trim panel 7. As should be obvious, the first connection element 15 may instead be arranged on the trim panel 7, and the second connection element 25 consequently arranged on the mudguard 5 without deviating from the inventive concept of the invention. Similarly, according to the examples shown in figure 2 and 3, the projections 39 and the recesses 23 of the snap lock arrangement 41 are arranged on the second and the two first ribs 27, 17 respectively. The projections 39 may instead be arranged on the two first ribs 17, and the recesses 23 may be arranged on the second rib 27, without deviating from the inventive concept of the invention. For convenience, all examples shown and described within the description are however shown as in figure 2 and 3, but it should be realized that all possible combination of the above described arrangements may be used for the wheel housing 3 according to the invention.

Figure 4 schematically illustrates a plan view of a snap lock arrangement 41 comprising a recess 23 and a projection 39, interlocked with each other according to the invention. The projection 39 shown in figure 4 comprises two slanting front surfaces 43 and a locking heel 45. The slanting front surfaces 43 are arranged to push the first and second ribs 17, 27 away from each other when the snap lock arrangement 41 is being assembled. When the second rib 27 is fully inserted between the two first ribs 17, the projections 39 falls into their corresponding recesses 23 and the interlocking of the snap lock arrangement 41 is thereby established. The projection 39 shown in figure 4 may be U-shaped, wherein the locking heel 45 is arranged at the base of the U-shape. Thereby the total amount of material needed to manufacture the projection 39 is lowered while still ensuring a large locking heel 45 for the arrangement. As the assembly of a mudguard 5 and a trim panel 7 using a snap lock arrangement 41 with a plurality of projections 39 and recesses 23 as the ones shown in figure 4 needs to be held together tightly by means of a snug fit, the shape of the recess 23 is designed to correspond to the circumference of the projection 39. When assembled the locking heel 45 is in direct contact with a front edge 47 of the recess, and side walls 49 of the projections are in direct contact with, or close to, side edges 51 of the recess. Thereby the projection 39 is hindered from moving when it is inserted into, and interlocked with, its respective recess 23. The U-shape further has an additional advantage in the case of the wheel housing 3 being moulded from a plastic material when manufactured. A too large mass of liquid plastic material solidifying may risk shrinking too much and thereby also affecting the shape of the surface of the rib directly opposite of the projection. By using a U-shape the amount of material used for a projection 39 is lowered and thus the issue of changing shape during the solidification of the plastic is reduced. This is beneficial as the end product is more in line with its designed shape and the tolerances of the snap lock arrangement 41 may thus be designed smaller.

Figure 5 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a recess 23 and a projection 39, interlocked with each other according to the invention. Figure 5 further shows an outer edge 19 of a mudguard 5 whereupon a first connection element 15, being two first ribs 17, is arranged. Even further figure 5 shows an inner edge 53 of a trim panel 7 whereupon a second connection element 25, being a second rib 27, is arranged. The two connection elements 15, 25 thereby constitute a snap lock arrangement 41 for establishing a connection between the mudguard 5 and the trim panel 7. The cross-section is viewed a direction along the elongation of a mudguard 5 assembled with a trim panel 7 by means of said first and second ribs 17, 27. The second rib 27 is a staggered rib, wherein the cross section is taken through one of the upper portions 29 of said staggered second rib 27, comprising an upper contact surface 33 to the upper first rib 17’. The projection 39 arranged on the upper portion 33 of the second rib 27 comprises a slanting front surface 43, having an angle ? of about 45° as shown in figure 5. This angle might differ but may be an acute angle providing an angled plane for the adjacent first rib 17’ to slide upon. Furthermore, the projection 39 comprises a locking heel 45, wherein an angle ? of the locking heel 45 is in the range of about 70° to about 90° relative to the rib whereon it is situated, being the second rib 27 in this example. The locking heel 45 is thereby angled slightly backwards, towards the inner edge 53 of the trim panel 7, to provide a secure interlocking of the projection 39 and the recess 23 where the risk of the snap lock arrangement 41 unlocking is lowered. As is shown in figure 5, the two first ribs 17 are longer than the second rib 27, and the first two ribs 17 further comprises an inner protrusion 55, arranged to bridge the two first ribs 17. When the snap lock arrangement 41 is interlocked by means of fitting the projections 39 into their respective recesses 23, a front end 57 of the second rib 27 is arranged to abut against said inner protrusion 55 when the second rib 27 is fully inserted between the two first ribs 17. Thereby a tight fit with small tolerances is easier to achieve as the abutment of the front end 57 of the second rib 27 towards to inner protrusion 55 is constituted by a smaller surface area than if the first and second ribs 17, 27 would have an equal length. If the first and second ribs 17, 27 would have equal length, any small error in the shape of the surface between the two first ribs 17 could then potentially misalign the projections 39 and the recesses 23 due to not being able to insert the second rib 27 fully between the two first ribs 17. By have the abutment surfaces being smaller and focused on inner protrusions 55, a smaller area needs to be inspected and adjusted by a suitable follow-up process step if it would show that the snap lock arrangement 41 would not fit perfectly. The inner protrusions 55 are therefore beneficial from a manufacturing point of view, which leads to a cost efficient design of a wheel housing 3 comprising mudguard 5 and trim panel 7 comprising such a snap lock arrangement 41. A snap lock arrangement 41 according to the invention may have a single inner protrusion 55 or a plurality of inner protrusions 55. Depending on the size of the wheel housing 3 being manufactured the design may easily be altered in regards of the number on such inner protrusions 55 without deviating from the inventive concept of the invention.

Figure 6 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional side view of first and second connection elements 15, 25 interlocked with each other according to the invention. The cross section shown in figure 6 is taken through the interlocked projections 39 and recesses 23 of the first and second connection elements 15, 25, and is viewed in a direction from the trim panel 7 towards the mudguard 5. Figure 6 shows in more detail how the staggered second rib 27 alternates up and down comprising upper and lower portions 29, 31 whereupon the respective projections 39 are arranged on the upper and lower contact surfaces 33, 35 between the first and second ribs 17, 27.

As should be realized, the components and features specified above may within the framework of the invention be combined between the different embodiments specified.

Claims (9)

1. A wheel housing (3) for a vehicle (1), in particular a heavy goods vehicle, comprising a mudguard (5) and a trim panel (7), wherein the mudguard (5) is arranged to at least partly cover a portion of a wheel (13) arranged in said wheel housing (3), and wherein the trim panel (7) is arranged to at least partly cover a gap defined by a distance between a circumference of the wheel (13) and the mudguard (5), wherein the mudguard (5) and the trim panel (7) are arranged to be interlocked by means of a snap lock arrangement (41) comprising a first connection element (15) and a second connection element (25), wherein one of the connection elements is arranged on the mudguard (5) and the other corresponding connection element is arranged on the trim panel (7). characterized in that the first connection element (15) comprises two extending first ribs (17), an upper first rib (17’) and a lower first rib (17”), and the second connection element (25) comprises one extending second rib (27), wherein the second rib (27) is arranged to be inserted between the two first ribs (17) so as to establish upper and lower contact surfaces (33, 35) between the two first ribs (17’, 17”) and the second rib (27).

2. The wheel housing (3) according to claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces (33, 35) between the first and second ribs (17’, 17”, 27) comprises snap locking means (21, 37) comprising a plurality of recesses (23) and corresponding extending projections (39), arranged to interlock with each other.

3. The wheel housing (3) according to claim 2, wherein each projection (39) comprises a slanting front surface (43) and a locking heel (45), wherein an angle (?) of the locking heel (45) is in the range of about 70° to about 90° relative to the rib whereon it is situated.

4. The wheel housing (3) according to claim 3, wherein each projection (39) is U-shaped, wherein the locking heel (45) is arranged at a base of the U-shape.

5. The wheel housing (3) according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the second rib (27) is a staggered rib, comprising at least one upper portion (29) and at least one lower portion (31), wherein the at least one upper portion (29) comprises upper contact surfaces (33) between the upper first rib (17’) and the second rib (27) and the at least one lower portion (31) comprises lower contact surfaces (35) between the lower first rib (17”) and the second rib (27).

6. The wheel housing (3) according to any of claims 1 -5, wherein the two first ribs (17) are extending longer than the second rib (27) extends, and wherein the first ribs (17) further comprises at least one inner protrusion (55), arranged to bridge the two first ribs (17), wherein a front end (57) of the second rib (27) is arranged to abut against said inner protrusion (55) when the second rib (27) is fully inserted between the two first ribs (17).

7. The wheel housing (3) according to any of claims 1-6, wherein the first connection element (15) is arranged on an outer edge (19) of the mudguard (5) and the second connection element (25) is arranged on an inner edge (53) of the trim panel (7).

8. The wheel housing (3) according to any of claims 1-6, wherein the first connection element (15) is arranged on an inner edge (53) of the trim panel (7) and the second connection element (25) is arranged on an outer edge (19) of the mudguard (5).

9. A vehicle (1), characterized in that it comprises a wheel housing (3) according to any of the preceding claims.