Fender Design - Wheel Arch Challenge

                             FENDER DESIGN - WHEEL ARCH CHALLENGE

Aim:

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

 Fender

     Fender is a 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, liquid and other road spray from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire.

     Fender are typically rigid and can be damaged by contact with the road surface.

     The main purpose of fender on cars is that they shield the wheels and they protect the passengers, the pedestrains, and other vehicles from stones, mud, liquid, and other debris that can fly in the air because of the speeding rotating wheels while the car is running.

Wheel Arch

     It is curved part of the Fender positioned right above the wheel.

     The wheel arch is designed such that it protects both the pedastrain and car cabin from mud, water rocks and other road spray.

     Different countries have different wheel arch regulation in place, and the wheel arch design has to comply with them to be deemed usable in that country.

     For avoiding design alternations of the same vehicle to meet the different regulations in different countries, the maximum values of the concerned regulation parameters are taken into the consideration for design purpose.

 Fender Wheel Arch Regulation:

     Fender wheel arch regulation for different countries

1.    Japan Regulations
2.    European Regulations 
3.    US Regfulations        

1. Japan Regulation

•    Measure clearence L of tire, hub, cap and fender in three different position within area K and produce clearance check chart to validate.
•    Clearance must be greater than 5mm in all the three positions.
•    Wheel guard requirements: 

                  The value of 'a' shall be more than 5mm at a line 30* forward and 50* rearward from the central vehicle axis of wheel.

2.   European Regulations

•    Measure CL L section 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 10mm to satsufy the European regulations.
•    Wheel guard Rrquirements:

               The value of 'a' shall be more than 5mm at a line 30* forward and 50* rearward from the central vehicle axis of wheel.

 3.   US Regulations:

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

 We are calculated and measured by European standard:

Procedure:

•   A Datum plane is created at the outermost face of the wheel.
•   The sketch is created on the new Datum plane.
•   A Horizontal line is drawn across the centre of the wheel.
•   Two lines SB and SC are created at 30* forward of SA and 50* rearward of SA respectively.
•   A point is created 150mm vertically above the centre line.
•   A line SE is drawn from the wheel centre and passes from the point created.
•   Another line SD is drawn from the centre of the wheel and in the middle of lines SC and SE

To get a value of Clearance 'L':

     The clearance distance 'L' is calculated at points SA-SA, SB-SB, SC-SC, SD-SD and SE-SE. which should be greater than or equal to 10mm

         I.   Clearance 'L' at SA-SA

L = 9.9mm

         II.   Clearance 'L' at SB-SB

L = 10mm

        III.   Clearance 'L' at SC-DC

L = -0.11mm

        IV.   Clearance 'L' at SD-SD

L = -2.84mm

         V.   Clearance 'L' at SE-SE

L = -5.9mm

To get a value of clearance 'a' for Wheel Guard Requirements

         I. Clearance 'a' at 30* line SB

a = 44.75mm

        II.   Clearance 'a' at 50* line SC

a = 38.35mm

  Conclusion

      Tabulate them value for clearance 'L' and 'a'   

SECTION	L(>10mm)	Result	a(>5mm)	Result
SA-SA	9.9mm	FAIL
SB-SB	10mm	PASS	44.75mm	PASS
SC-SC	-0.11mm	FAIL	38.35mm	PASS
SD-SD	-2.84mm	FAIL
SE-SE	-5.9mm	FAIL

   From the above results we can conclude that the Fender does not pass the European Regulations, as the minimum clearance L between the Fender Wheel Arch and Wheel for vehicle and this design does not meet the requirements.

                                                   Thank you