Fender Design Challenge
FENDER
Fender is the part of an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle body that frames a wheel well (the fender underside). 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.
Types of Fender
1) Full Bumper Type
2) Half Bumper Type
FENDER DESIGN:-
Objective is to:-
1. Design Drip Area,
2. Design Sill Mount Area
3. Design Body Mount Area
4. Design Bumper Mount Region and A-pillar mount Region.
INPUT FROM STYLING TEAM:-
A Class Surface
Drip Area
It is the area through which the fender is attached to engine housing through bolts. There should be some consideration followed to design the drip area, from back side of the fender, there should be 200mm clearance for cowl mounting area and from the front there should be 150mm clearance for the head lamp housing unit.
Considering above design constrains we have to design the Drip area. Embosses are provided to increases Strength, corners of the flanges are smoothen to ease of the production. Uniform wall thickness of 0.75mm.
Sill mount Area
The mounting area at the panel directly to the bottom of door supporting floor. Which is bolted together and sill inner covers could cover the fasteners.
Bumper Mounting Area
A Mounting area of the fender to bumper region. Bumpers are mostly made of plastic which covers the bottom front and back part of the car. It protect the car at the time of collisions.
A Pillar Mounting Area
A pillar is on the cars either side of the front windshield, which is the reason the windshield in the place. It mounted on the A Pillar by means of the bolts and these are covered by outer side view mirrors.
Splash Cover or Wheel Well Mounting Region
At this points the splash covers are mounted to avoid the dirt and chipping materials entering in to the engine area, it is also protects the pedestrians from the rocks and sands picked by the tyres in motion.
Final Design
Taking the inputs from the drip area mounting, here the design is started and bumper and splash mountings information are taken from the fender design.
Conclusion
Fender design is completed by using the NX Software with satisfying all design constrains and strengthening the design as required.