Fender Design - Wheel Arch Challenge

Fender Design - Wheel Arch Challenge

Fenders are important outer trim of a vehicle that frames a wheel. Its purpose is to prevent sand, mud, and road debris from being thrown into the air by rotating tires which might potentially harm passers-by or cause cosmetic damage to the surface of a vehicle.

Fender Types – there are two major types of fenders:

• Full bumper type – this is a conventional design of a bumper that extends fully.
• Half bumper type – here, the other side of the bumper is substituted with plastic material. This is also an attempt to save weight on the vehicle.

Fenders are mounted on 5 important parts of a vehicle:

1. Body
2. A-pillar
3. Sill
4. Cowl (this is the part that houses the wiper components)
5. Drip (this is the area in contact with the engine compartment)

Fender Design Consideration – there are safety standards that are mandated to be followed in the design of a fender:

• Drip Area – this is an area on a fender that gets attached to a mounting for stability.
• Wheel Arch Area

Drip Area Consideration

Before drip area is determined on a fender, the standard requirement is to have a minimum of 200mm at the rear end of the fender to accommodate the cowl area which houses the wiper components. At the front end of the fender, it is also important to have a 150mm distance to accommodate the headlamp.

In other to avoid a spring back effect of the drip area, the length of the drip area must not be more than 60mm for stability.

Wheel Arch Area Consideration

For safety reasons, the wheel arch area must accommodate the wheel. To avoid flying of road debris when the wheel is rolling, the tire must not extend outside beyond the wheel arch area.

There are standards specified by different regions including America, Japan, and Europe.

Japan Region

A center point is located on the wheel and a perpendicular line is drawn. Three points are created by creating a vertical line which is (30, 90, and 50) degrees. The clearance between the points at the wheel arch must be a minimum of 5mm. if the curvature of the wheel arch is less than 5mm, then the curvature of the fender will be altered.

European Region

For the European region, an additional point is created which is 150mm from the central point of the wheel. The clearance between the fender and the 4 points must be a minimum of 10mm.

In other to satisfy other regions, a maximum clearance is given between the fender and the points.

Wheel Arch Design

Projected Curve

Minimum Distance of 40.3mm > 10mm (pass)

Minimum Distance of 23.2mm > 10mm (pass)

Minimum Distance 37.5mm > 10mm (pass)

Minimum Distance 40.4mm > 10mm (pass)

Minimum Distance of 43.1mm > 10mm (pass)