Fender Design - Wheel Arch Challenge

WHEEL ARCH REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS: BASED ON EUROPEAN REGULATIONS

Objectives:

• To study about the various regulations for designing wheel arch in standards of different countries.
• To analyze the given wheel arch model to check whether it passes the regulation requirements or not.

Introduction:- Wheel arch act as a cover for the wheel for various fuctions, it includes

• preventing the components in the engine bay from chipping
• protects the parts by blocking rocks or dirt
• preventing the throwing of sand, mud, small rocks onto pedestriants due to rotation of wheels.

It is important to consider the conditions of road and atmosphere in specific regions of the world when designing fenders. For assuring these criterias, Different countries have their own regulatory authorities ensuring these standards. Here we discuss the requirements of european countries on regulations in wheel arch design.

Generally, the regulations are taken on the clearance distance provided between the outer edge of the wheel to the extreme end of fender. Wheel must be maintained a specific distance inside the car body. it varies region to region.

European standard:

• European regulations basically tells that it needs a minimum clearance distance of 10 mm between wheel and fender.
• But it must be feasible in multiple curve segments in order to pass the test.
• Figure shows the important design parameters that needs to be ensured.
• Distance 'L' is the clearance required

European standards requires the clearance at the shown 4 line segments to be greater than 10 mm.

The speifications of the line segments drawn from the center of the wheel are:

1. SA is the vertical axis.
2. SB line: placed at an angle of 30 degree to car front from the vertical axis.
3. SC line: placed at an angle of 50 degree to the rearward direction
4. SE line: A line drawn from center to the intersection of a point which is 150 mm apart from horizontal axis with the wheel arch edge.
5. SD line: Bisecting line of the SC and SE lines.

Clearance is measured from the points where these lines coincide with wheel arch to the nearest point at the outer edge of wheel.

Analysis of the given fender model:

Plotting these lines on the model given using sketch-

Clearance is measured using measure distance command:

RESULT:

Clearance table:

LINE REFERENCE	CLEARANCE	RESULT
SA	9.9489	FAIL
SB	10	PASS
SC	0.1137	FAIL
SD	2.8602	FAIL
SE	5.9341	FAIL

CONCLUSION:

The given clearance angles the failed on this analysis for the european standards, wheel needs to further moved inside the fender.