Project 2 Fender
Fender Design
Fender of a car is a BIW component of a car. Its purpose is to keep the engine bay or engine compartment protected from debris and foreign materials such as dust, rain, sand, snow. As the wheel/Tyre rotates a lot of such components get thrown around due to centrifugal force so the fender needs to be designed such that none of the debris lands dangerously on the cars body or the pedestrians.
Consideration for the design of a fender includes:
- Safety of occupants.
- Safety of pedestrians.
- Sealing the engine compartment from outside elements.
- Styling and aesthetics of the body.
- Crash safety
- Mounting areas and clearances.
The fixture of a fender is done using nut-bolt, screws instead of welding or adhesives. The fender is usually fixed at 4 to 5 locations to keep the vibrations and noise due to debris and wind low. The fixture locations are:
- Drip area. (Fixing with the engine compartment)
- Bumper Mounting Area.
- 'A' - Pillar Mounting area.
- Chassis mounting area.
A baffle or plastic guard like part is joined to the fender in the wheel arch area. It helps with keeping the vibrations and noises to a minimum. The mud flaps are usually mounted in the same area. the fender needs to be designed considering the mounting points of these parts and their clearances.
Drip area:
It is the part of the fender where the fender is fixed to the engine compartment of the car chassis. It is usually in the middle of the edge along the engine compartment to provide clearance for the headlight assembly in the front and cowl area (Wipers, Wiper motors ets) in the back. To keep the aesthetics of the whole car better, all the fixtures, aesthetically unpleasant parts, welds, sealants etc are kept hidden such that they are only visible when one actually looks for it such as opening the hood, removal of plastic covers, panels etc.
Drip area with Darts to provide additional strength
Bumper Mounting:
This mounting is provided in-order to mount the fender to the bumper of the vehicle.
1. Embosses are given to increase the strength of the mounting area and the embossed surface must be a flat face in order to rest the face properly on the bumper.
2. There must be a tool landing area of Radii 5mm in order to cut the hole from the sheet.
3. There should not be any sharp corners or edges.
A-Pillar / Body Mounting:
The mounting is provided to mount the fender with the Body or the A-pillar of the vehicle.
1. Embosses are given to increase the strength of the mounting area and the embossed surface must be a flat face in order to rest the face properly on the bumper.
2. There must be a tool landing area of Radii 5mm in order to cut the hole from the sheet.
3. There should not be any sharp corners or edges.
Splash / C- Mounting:
This mounting is provided to mount the Baffle which is an NVH component.
1. As only Rubber-like material has to be mounted in this area to arrest the Vibration and Noise so much strength is not required so embosses in this region are not necessary.
2. Only we have to provide holes for the push clips to fix the baffle.
3. There must be a tool landing area of Radii 5mm in order to cut the hole from the sheet.
4. There should not be any sharp corners or edges.
Fender including all the mounts with Fender Protector and cladding assembled