Fender Design - Wheel Arch Challenge
1. wheel arch :
wheel arch is the semi circular part of the fender positioned above the wheel of the vehicle.
the design of the wheel arch of a fender should be such that it must shield wheels and protect both passengers, component and pedestrians from projection of water, mud, and stones.
for the vehicle to has its use permit in different countries, the wheel arch of fenders must be compliant with the standard and regulations set by the respective countries.
2. objective of the wheel arch challange :
the objective of the wheel arch challange is to calculated the wheel arch area and to prove whether the given fender of car will pass the european standard of not.
3. european standards for wheel arch:
1. the clearance as shown in above fig at all the five sections a,b,c,d,e should be greaterthan 10 mm.
2. wheel guard requirement : the value of distance between fender and outer layer of tyre at 30 degree and 50 degree should be more than 5mm from centre vertical axis of the wheel.
4. obtaining results :
saftware used : student edition
sketch is drawn on the wheel face as per the european standards provided and projected on the wheel arch at sections a,b,c,d,e to measure L, A and wheel arch area.
A. obtaining the value of clearance "L"
Table A: clearance "L" obtained at sections SA, SB, SC, SD, SE
| SA | 9.949 <10 | FAIL |
| SB | 10.000<=10 | PASS |
| SC | -0.1139<10 | FAIL |
| SD | -2.9294<10 | FAIL |
| SE | -5.997<10 | FAIL |
from table A , the given fender does not pass the european standards for wheel arch area at sections SA, SC, SD and SE.
B. obtaining the value of clearance "a" for wheel gaurd requirement :
a) finding the value of "a" at line 30 degree forward from centre vertical axis of the wheel.
the value is 43.9119 mm .
b) finding the value of "a" at line 50 degree rearward from centre vertical axis oof the wheel.
the value is 38.6697 mm.
Table B: clearance "a" obtained at sections SB , SC.
| SB | 30 degree | 43.9119 mm | pass |
| SC | 50 degree | 39.6697 mm | pass |
from table B , the given fender passes the european standard for wheel arch area only in the case of clearance "a".
C. wheel arch area of the given fender
5. conclusion :
from the above results obtained, we can conclude that the given fender does not pass the european standards for the wheel arch area.
6. suggestions to styling team
the styling team is required to modify the styling of the fender such that clearnace "L"at sections SA,SC,SD, and SE is equal to or geater than 10 mm by increasing the curvature at those sections towards outside.