Fender Design - Wheel Arch Challenge

Objective

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

What is Wheel arc?

The wheel arch is the semicircular part positioned above the wheel of a vehicle. The most important body change was that the front wheel arch was cut higher into the fender.

Types of Regulations

• Japan Regulation
• European Regulation
• US Regulation

Japan Regulation

• Measure Clearance Length(CL) of the tire, hub, cap and fender in three differnet positions within area K and produce clearance check chart to validate.
• Clearance must be greater than 5mm in all three positions.
• Wheel guard requirement: The value of 'A' shall be more than 5mm at a line 30° forward and 50° rearward from the central vertical axis of axis of wheel.

European Regulation

• Measure clearance length L(Length) at sections SA-SA SB-SB SC-SC SD-SD SE-SE and produce clearance length check chart validate.
• At all five sections the clearance length L value should be greater than 10mm to satisfy this regulation.
• Wheel guard requirement: The value of 'A' shall be more than 5mm at a line 30° forward and 50° rearward from the central vertical axis of axis of wheel.

US Regulation

• Make Clearance check details on all positions from -100° to 100° and make the clearance check table.
• All values should be greater than 5mm to satisfy the regulation.
• Wheel guard requirement: The value of 'A' shall be more than 5mm at a line 30° forward and 50° rearward from the central vertical axis of axis of wheel.

Case

Calculate and Tabulate the Wheel Arch gap at required points in European regulation.

The Five sections of SA, SB, SC, SD, and SE are taken in the plane and project the curves on the surface to take measurement of the wheel arc gap by the European regulation.

As you can the values of Wheel arc gap clearance length at SA, SB, SC, SD and SE, as per the European regulation.

Tabulation Result

Region	Required CL	Actual CL	Result
SA	10	9.949	Fail
SB	10	10	Pass
SC	10	0.123	Fail
SD	10	2.589	Fail
SE	10	5.576	Fail

Conclusion

The values of Clearance Length is measured at all five location and tabulated. As per the European Regulation the fender design is failed due to wheel arc and for pedestrian safety. As you can see the tabulation shows one section have positive result due to greater then 10mm of CL and four sections have negative result due to lesser then 10mm of CL.