Fender Design Challenge

Fender Design Challenge

Aim:

          The aim of this project is to design the BIW of a Fender using the fender skin data as the input data and then attach mountings on the fender for attaching it with the surrounding BIW bodies.

Introduction:

          Fender is the American English term for the part of an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle body that frames a wheel well. Its primary purpose is to prevent sand, mud, rocks, liquids, and other road spray from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire. Fenders are typically rigid and can be damaged by contact with the road surface.

          Sticky materials, such as mud, may adhere to the smooth outer tire surface, while smooth loose objects, such as stones, can become temporarily embedded in the tread grooves as the tire rolls over the ground. These materials can be ejected from the surface of the tire at high velocity as the tire imparts kinetic energy to the attached objects. For a vehicle moving forward, the top of the tire is rotating upward and forward, and can throw Objects into the air at other vehicles or pedestrians in front of the vehicle. Fender is a front outer side member of a car, which covers the wheel side. It has so many small features with ups and downs.

The Importance of Car Fenders:

• Fenders are an intricate sheet of metal covering the wheel well of your car.

• Fenders are designed in a manner to provide resistance against wind and other roadside debris.

• When you travel on rough terrains your vehicle might get minor scratches and dents which look no better. Frequent road bumps can cause your cars paint to chip off which needs a paint job done.

• The car fenders are located on either side of the front and rear wheels. The front car fenders begin where the front door hinges run and end just before the bumper. The rear car fenders begin where the back doors close and terminate before the back bumpers.

There are Two types of Fenders:

• Full bumper type

• Half bumper type

Full bumper type:

            This type of bumper is not commonly used because this design is more scrap producing one during manufacturing. The blank of steel or aluminum used to produce this type has more wastage. This type is not economically good to manufacture. Also it increases the material cost unavoidably. If we use full bumper type the material has to be either aluminum or steel, since these materials were generally used for fenders. This extension of material usage in bumpers might increase the proportion of weight and consequently reduce the performance of vehicle. Nowadays plastic material components are in use for bumper making. Plastics have high tendency in absorbing the shock and impact loads. And being light in weight it is easy to mount them on chassis.

Half bumper type:

             This is the most commonly used typed of fender. The con’s of full bumper type is satisfied in this design, and the blank area of wastage while producing the part is drastically reduced by scrap management. In this type by slightly increasing the blank size 50% of wastage is reduced by making two fenders on a same single blank of steel or aluminum. Also this design provides space for using plastic components in the bumper. Thus facilitating way for reducing a high proportion of weight and increase the vehicle’s performances significantly.

Purpose of fender:

Cleanliness:

          Protect the car, occupants and passersby from items, water, mud, snow, ice, thrown off the tires as you drive.

Safety:

          Protects pedestrians from the wheel, e.g. its better to be it by a laterally moving fender than a rolling tire, keeps loose, streaming items from being wrapped up in a rolling wheel.

Aerodynamics:

          Smooths the car profile so you don't get a lot of drag off the uncovered wheels. Some fenders are enclosed on the side for this.

General appearance:

          Looks better with fenders, gives a finished look, looks more streamlined.

Material used in FENDER Design:

          You can find modern fenders made from steel, aluminum, thermoplastic, and fiberglass. Steel is the most rigid and abrasion-resistant material used in making fenders. They offer the best protection from large debris and are less likely to dent. Aluminum offers the strength of metal without the heaviness of steel. 

Manufacturing process in Metal forming:

           One of the most important things about metal is that it can undergo plastic deformation. That doesn't mean metal is made out of plastic, but it can do one of the things that plastics can: It literally can take on almost any shape that we can imagine.

Bending: 

           In bending, force is applied to a sheet metal workpiece to produce a curvature of the surface. Bending is generally used to produce simple curved surfaces rather than complex ones. A mechanically operated press drives a punch against sheet metal, forcing it into a simple die with enough pressure to produce a permanent change in the metal's shape. The amount of pressure is important. If not enough pressure is applied, the metal can simply spring back into its original shape. If too much is applied, it can break.

Drawing: 

          In drawing, the sheet metal is forced against a die that has been cut into the three-dimensional, often curved shape that the sheet metal is to take on. In effect, the die is used as a mold for the metal. This technique can produce relatively complex shapes. Once again, pressure is applied to the work-piece using a hydraulically or mechanically operated punch. There are a number of dangers involved, not so much to people (since the process is largely mechanized) but to the metal itself.

          It can crack from too much pressure or wrinkle from its interaction with the die. Lubricant can be used to make the metal slide more smoothly against the die, avoiding the possibility of wrinkling. Alternatively, the wrinkled edges can be trimmed from the metal in a separate operation. This method is commonly used to make auto body parts and fuel tanks.

Stamping: 

          In stamping, a device called a stamping press is used with a series of dies to cut and form metal into various shapes. This is commonly used to make auto parts such as hubcaps and fenders.

Extrusion:

           Extrusion can be used to produce long metal objects, such as rods and tubes. The metal work-piece is forced into a die with a hole in the opposite end. The metal is extruded through the hole to form the shape. Extrusion can be used to manufacture important parts of a car's drive train or the anchors that hold seat-belts in place.

Forging:

           The forging process uses a hammer or press that is essentially a mechanized version of the hammers used by ancient blacksmiths. The metal is hammered against a surface that serves as an anvil. It can be hammered repeatedly so as to form complex shapes. This can be used as an alternative to the drawing process.

Front Fender Design:

The given Master section to create the Drip Area and For the Sill mount, Bumper Mount and A-Pillar mount create your own design according to the Engineering standard.

1.Drip Area

2.Sill mount

3.Bumper mount

4.A pillar mount

5.Cowl mount

Design of Drip Mount Area:

Master Section To Follow And Create Drip Area:

a. Drip Area should 150 mm from the front side and 200 from the mirror area

b. From the master section we have optimize values for draft, drawing and assembly point of view. such as Distance from engine comportment is 10mm, Height of fender etc.

Design Criteria:

•   Embosses are provided to increase the strength.

•   Smooth curves are designed for easy manufacturing of panel.

•   Ribs are provided to drip area mount to give structural support and extra strength.

•   Maintain extra 10 mm from the flat surface for the fastner holes.

•   All fillets should maintain 3 + thickness mm radius in most regions.

•   Thickness of fender is 0.75 mm.

1.Drip Area:

2.Sill mount Area:

3.Bumper mount Area:

4.A pillar mount Area:

5.Cowl mount Area:

Views of Fender design:

Conclusion:-

             Fender mountings i.e, Drip area , Bumper area, A pillar area , Sill area , Baffle areas are created for the given fender class A by following all design rules and master section references.