Challenge

Fender Design - Wheel Arch Challenge

AAkshay Shinde31 Jul 2022

#Question : Calculate the Wheel Arch gap at required points and check whether the car passes the European standard ?

#Answer :

Aim : To calculate the Wheel Arch gap at required points and check whether the car passes the European standards.

Introduction :

What is Car Fender ?

Fender is the American English term for 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.

Its primary purpose is to shield wheels and protect both passengers’ compartment and pedestrians from projection of water, mud and stones.

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.

In British English, the fender is called the wing. (This may refer to either the front or rear fenders. However, in modern unibody vehicles, rear fenders may also be called quarter panels.) The equivalent component of a bicycle or motorcycle, or the "cycle wing" style of wing fitted to vintage cars, or over tires on lorries which is not integral with the bodywork, is called a mudguard in Britain, as it guards other road users – and in the case of a bicycle or motorcycle, the rider as well – from mud, and spray, thrown up by the wheels.

You can find modern car 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—making them a popular choice for off-road vehicles.

What is Wheel Arc or Wheel Arch ?

The wheel arc is an integrated part of a fender assembly. It is a semi-circular part which is positioned above the wheel of a vehicle. In some countries, it is also called as an inner fender. The most commonly used wheel well are of plastic material.

That’s why our wheel arch repair panels are made of heavy gauge stamped steel of equal or greater thickness to the OEM parts they’re replacing — to save you money while extending the life of your vehicle. Along with replacement wheel arches, we stock a huge inventory of cab corners, bed panels, door skins and much more.

Looking at it this evening parked on the drive the offside rear gap between tyre and wheel arch is approx 1 cm more than the nearside (roughly one fingers width for the average adult human, three fingers one side, two fingers the other). Actually quite a noticeable difference when looking at it.

Image for Understanding how is the Fender and Wheel arch Area

Various Standards and Regulations of different Countries :

1. Japan Standards and Regulations :

Measure clearance L of tire ,hub, cap & fender in three different positions within area K and produce clearance check chart to validate.
Clearance must be greater than 5 mm in all the three positions.
Wheel guard requirement: The value of a shall be more than 5 mim at a line 30* forward and 50* rearward from the central vertical axis of axis of wheel.

2. European Standards Regulations :

Measure CL L at sections SA-SA SB-SB SC-SC SD-SD SE-SE and produce CL check chart to validate.
At all five sections the CL L value should be greater than 10 mm to satisfy the European regulations.
Wheel guard regmt: The value of 'a shall be more than 5 mm at a line 30* forward and 50* rearward from the central vertical axis of axis of wheel.

3. US Standards and Regulations :

Make clearance check details on all positions from -100* to 100* & make the clearance check table.
All values should be greater than 5 mm to satisfy the regulations. The value of 'a' shall be more than 5 mm at a line 30* forward and 50*.
rearward from the central vertical axis of axis of wheel.

This are the various Standards and Regulations of wheel arch and fender of different countries, As mentioned in the question we have to calculate the Wheel Arch gap through the European standard.

Wheel Arch Gap Calculations Process in NX:

Firstly we have to create a datum plane on the outside area on the wheel for drawing of sketch.
Click on the Sketch and select the newly created datum plane.
Draw the horizontal line which is passes througth the wheel arc centre. (0* to 180*)
From the centre point draw the horizontal line which is 90* and name as SA
On left side of SA take the angle of 30* and draw the line and name as SB (SA - SB = 30*)
On right side of SA draw the line which is 50* to SA and name as SC (SA - SC = 50*)
Take a point on fender arc which is 150mm distance from the base horizontal line
Draw the line in this taken point and name as SE
Draw the line in between the SC and SE and name that line SD (SC - SD = SD - SE)
When finish the sketch then close the sketch and measure the various distances which is mentioned in the question and check wheather its matching european standards or not.

The sketch which is mentioned above is designed and which is shown in below image

The clearance value 'L' was measured and found to be as follows:

Line Name	Required Value (mm)	Measured Value (mm)	Remark
SA	10	9.9306	Fail
SB	10	10.00	Pass
SC	10	0.2819	Fail
SD	10	2.9787	Fail
SE	10	5.9753	Fail

Measuring the distance between the Wheel and Fender arc,

Clearance of SB line is 44.98mm

Clearance of SA line is 25.79mm

Clearance of SE line is 44.32mm

SUGGESTIONS :

The styling team is required to modify the styling surface of the fender such that the clearance "L" at sections SA, SC, SD and SE are equal or greater than 10 mm by increasing the curvature at those sections towards outside.

CONCLUSION:

Hence based on the outputs, we can conclude that the given model/design does not match the european regulations for the gap between fender wheel arch and wheel.

Fender Design - Wheel Arch Challenge

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in your own course.

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Ship work like thisin your own course.

Talk to a career counsellor

Ship work like this
in your own course.