Fender Design - Wheel Arch Challenge

AIM: Calculate the Wheel Arch gap at required points and check whether the car passes the European standard.

OBJECTIVES: *explaining the different fender regulations

*Add snapshots of measurements and tabulate them for the given model

THEORY:

FENDER: Fender is the American English term for the part of an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle body that frames a wheel well. Its primary purpose is to prevent sand, mud, rocks, liquids, and other road spray from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire.

WHEEL ARCH: It is the semicircular part of the fender positioned above the wheel of the vehicle. The design of the wheel arch of the fender should be such that it must shield wheels and protect both passengers compartment and pedestrians from the projection of water, mud and stones.

For avoiding design alterations of the same vehicle to meet the different regulations parameters are taken into consideration for design purpose.

Fender Wheel Arch Regulations :

Japan Regulations :

*The clearance 'L' for tire, hub, cap and fender is to be measured within area K and create clearance check chart to validate. This clearance value should be minimum of 5mm.

European Regulation:

According to the European standards, the minimum distance between the wheel and the fender should be of 10mm.

American standards:

According to the American standards, the minimum distance between the wheel and the fender should be of 10mm which is similar to European standard. But, the points at which the distance measured is for every 20 degrees.

CALCULATIONS PROCEDURE:

Sketch the lines and points as per the standard on the created datum plane.

Project the curves and points onto the fender.

Now measure the distance between the wheel and wheel arch.

Measurements:

*As per standard, 'a' should be more than 5mm at line 30 degree forward and 50 degree.

Results obtained,

SB = 46.13mm

SC = 38.66 mm

* "L" should be greater than 10mm.

Results obtained are,

At point SB = +10 mm

At point SA = +9.9 mm

At point SC = -0.1 mm

At point SD = -2.9 mm

At point SE = -6 mm

When Tabulated:

CONCLUSION:

From the above results we can conclude that the Fender does not pass the European Regulations as the minimum clearance between the fender arch wheel to the outermost wheel is 10 mm and this design does not meet the minimum clearance, so this fender design is fail for the European Regulation standard.