Description:FENDER CLADDING STRUCTURE FOR AERODYNAMIC DRAG IMPROVEMENT
FIELD OF INVENTION:
[001] The present subject matter described herein, relates to a fender of vehicle, and, in particular, to a fender cladding structure for a vehicle. In more particularly, to a fender cladding structure for aerodynamic drag improvement in rear side of the vehicle.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART:
[002] Generally, fender claddings are added to vehicle for aesthetic and functional purpose. The fender claddings are provided over fender edge which surrounds vehicle wheel well. Addition of the fender cladding on the vehicle fender changes the look of the vehicle. Further, the fender claddings are provided in the vehicle, such as hatch back vehicle to give them SUV look. The fender cladding provides a functional feature by hiding oversize tire having increased width which is coming out of the vehicle body. The fender cladding provides an extension to the fender to hide the width of the oversized wheel and bring the vehicle into approved limit. Further, the fender cladding protects the fender surface and side body of the vehicle from impact by roadway materials, such as gravel, mud that are propelled by the tires of the vehicle.
[003] Problem in the art: General dis-advantage of applying fender cladding in rear wheel well of the vehicle is that it increases the aerodynamic drag at rear side of the vehicle.
[004] Fig. 1 illustrates the structure of known fender cladding on rear wheel of the vehicle. In the Fig. 1, fender cladding 104 is provided over fender at rear wheel of the vehicle. The fender cladding 104 covers both rear bumper 102 and side skirt of the vehicle. The fender cladding 104 is mounted on the fender and side skirt of the vehicle. The fender cladding 104 surrounds rear wheel 102 from upper side to protect the fender and sides of the vehicle from roadways particles.
[005] Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 illustrate the cross section AA of the mounted fender cladding at rear side of the vehicle. The cross section AA 208 is taken along the length of the vehicle. For the analysis, the cross section AA 208 should be considered from the top side or top view. Currently, edges of the bumper are rounded off for styling purpose which leads to an un-defined and unstable detachment of air flow which ultimately increases the wake area at the rear side of the vehicle. As illustrated from the Fig. 2, air detaches from the rounded edges of the rear bumper 202 so early which increases the wake area at rear side of the vehicle (As illustrated in figure 10). Air flow at the rear side of the vehicle influences aerodynamic drag of the vehicle heavily. Further, the air flow detaches at the trailing edges of the vehicle at the rear which leads to a wake area behind the vehicle that causes drag on the vehicle.
[006] Therefore, major technical problem in the addition of the fender cladding at rear side of the vehicle is aerodynamic drag. In the current vehicles, bumper edges are rounded off for styling purpose and fender cladding is provided to give vehicle a SUV look. This addition of fender cladding in wheel well arch area increases aerodynamic drag.
[007] Therefore, drawbacks of the existing fender cladding and prior arts are that addition of fender cladding increases the aerodynamic drag in the vehicle. The known systems do not provide any structure which reduces the aerodynamic drag in the vehicle along with appearance. Therefore, a simple fender cladding structure is required which provide SUV look to the vehicle and reduces the aerodynamic drag in the vehicle.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[008] The principal objective of the present invention is to provide a fender cladding structure for reducing aerodynamic drag in vehicle.
[009] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a fender cladding structure for providing vehicle a SUV look.
[0010] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a simple and single piece fender cladding structure for reducing the aerodynamic drag.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0011] The subject matter relates to a rear wheel fender cladding structure to reduce aerodynamic drag coefficient of a vehicle at rear side. The present rear wheel fender cladding is in semi circular or in bowed shape. The present fender cladding structure is provided over wheel arch or wheel well of the vehicle. The present fender cladding structure is designed to accommodate an extended and inclined portion. The present rear wheel fender cladding structure extends in rear ward direction from the rear side. Further, the present rear wheel fender cladding structure is inclined towards inward direction at the rear side. The extended and inclined portion of the rear wheel fender cladding structure at rear side allows delayed separation of air on the rear side of the vehicle and also allows air to turn inwards towards low pressure zone behind the vehicle without any early detachment from the extended portion which results in a smaller wake region at the rear of the vehicle thus resulting in less aerodynamic drag. The extension and inclination of the rear wheel fender cladding reduces the aerodynamic drag in the vehicle. Maximum possible reduction in aerodynamic drag is obtained by optimization of these parameters. Further, the rear wheel fender cladding is provided with a varying thickness to match the rear bumper profile.
[0012] In order to further understand the characteristics and technical contents of the present subject matter, a description relating thereto will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used to limit scope of the present subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0014] Fig. 1 illustrates known fender cladding in vehicle;
[0015] Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 illustrate cross section AA of mounted fender cladding on the fender at rear wheel well of the vehicle;
[0016] Fig. 4 illustrates isometric view of the fender cladding structure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0017] Fig. 5 illustrates rear isometric view of the fender cladding structure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0018] Fig. 6 illustrates top view of the fender cladding structure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0019] Fig. 7 illustrates fender cladding structure for reducing aerodynamic drag at rear of vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0020] Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 illustrates cross section AA of mounted fender cladding on the fender, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter; and
[0021] Fig. 10 illustrates comparison of airflow streamlines of existing fender cladding and present fender cladding on the rear wheel arch of the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0022] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
[0023] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to rear wheel fender cladding structure to reduce aerodynamic drag coefficient of a vehicle at rear side. The present rear wheel fender cladding is in semi circular or bowed shape. The present fender cladding is provided over wheel arch or wheel well of the vehicle on the fender. The present fender cladding structure is designed to accommodate an extended and inclined portion. The present rear wheel fender cladding structure extends in rear ward direction from the rear side. Further, the present rear wheel fender cladding structure is inclined towards inward direction at the rear side. The extended and inclined portion of the rear wheel fender cladding structure at rear side allows delayed separation of air on the rear side of the vehicle and also allows air to turn inwards towards low pressure zone behind the vehicle without any early detachment from the extended portion which results in a smaller wake region at the rear of the vehicle thus resulting in less aerodynamic drag. The extension and inclination of the rear wheel fender cladding reduces the aerodynamic drag in the vehicle. Maximum possible reduction in aerodynamic drag is obtained by optimization of these parameters. Further, the rear wheel fender cladding is provided with a varying thickness to match the rear bumper profile.
[0024] Conventionally, a fender cladding are provided around the wheel well of the vehicle. The addition of the fender cladding at rear side of the vehicle increases the aerodynamic drag. In the current vehicles, bumper edges are rounded off for styling purpose and fender cladding is provided to give vehicle a SUV look. This addition of fender cladding in wheel well arch area increases aerodynamic drag.
[0025] In the present embodiment, the rear wheel fender cladding structure is provided to reduce the aerodynamic drag at rear of the vehicle. The rear wheel fender cladding has an extended and inclined portion. This extended and inclined profile of the rear wheel fender cladding allows delayed separation of air on the rear side of the vehicle and also allows air to turn inwards towards low pressure zone behind the vehicle without any early detachment from the extended portion which results in a smaller wake region at the rear of the vehicle thus resulting in less aerodynamic drag. The important parameters of the rear wheel fender cladding are inclination angle (ao), extended length (L) and fender cladding thickness (T). By optimization of these parameters in the rear wheel fender cladding structure, minimum aerodynamic drag can be obtained.
[0026] It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the principles of the present subject matter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present subject matter. It should also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that by devising various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present subject matter and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present subject matter, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures.
[0027] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail with reference to the following figures. It should be noted that the description merely illustrates the principles of the present subject matter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its scope.
[0028] Fig. 4 illustrates structure of rear wheel fender cladding structure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The present rear wheel fender cladding structure 400 (interchangeably it may be referred as fender cladding structure and rear wheel fender cladding structure) is mounted on fender of the wheel arch or wheel well. The fender cladding structure surrounds the wheel well and attached on the surface of fender of the wheel well or wheel arch. The fender cladding structure 400 matches with the contours of the portion of the fender and provides aesthetic appeal to the vehicle. The fender cladding structure 400 has a shape that is bowed, arched according to wheel arch, semi curved and compound curved. Specifically, the fender cladding structure 400 has central space according to wheel arch or wheel well. The fender cladding structure 400 is made as one piece structure formed from a durable material, such as plastic and rubber.
[0029] The fender cladding structure 400 has bowed shape portion 402 and extended portion 404. The bowed shape portion 402 blends with the contours of the fender provided over the wheel well. The extended portion 404 extends from the rear side of the bowed shape portion 402. The extended portion 404 covers the rounded portion of the rear bumper of the vehicle (it is clear from the figure 7). Further, the extended portion 404 is inclined in inward direction towards the rear bumper of the vehicle. The extended portion 404 has inclined profile which allows delayed separation of air on the rear side of the vehicle. Further, the extended portion 404 also allows air to turn inwards towards low pressure zone behind the vehicle without any early detachment from the extended portion 404 which results in a smaller wake region at the rear side of the vehicle thus resulting in less aerodynamic drag. The extension length of the extended portion 404 is decided on the basis of the maximum flow separation point and the extreme end point of the rear bumper. Therefore, if the size of the vehicle is increased, the length of the extended portion increases. The inclination angle of the fender cladding 400 is reduced by ao which is in range of 2o to 20o where the best results are achieved in the range 2o to 10o.
[0030] Further, thickness of the extended portion 404 is varied according to rear bumper profile of the vehicle. If rear bumper is extending in outward direction, the extended portion has low thickness. The thickness of the extended portion 404 can be optimized as per the shape and size of the rear bumper of the vehicle. Further, the thickness and the inclination profile of the extended portion 404 of the fender cladding 400 depends on the shape and size of the vehicle which can be optimized as per requirement.
[0031] Fig. 5 and fig. 6 illustrate rear isometric and top view of the fender cladding structure 400 respectively, in accordance with the present subject matter. The fender cladding structure 400 is attached with the fender of the wheel arch with help of plurality of clips. The plurality of clips is provided on inner side 408 of the fender cladding structure 400. The fender has plurality of grooves corresponding to the plurality of clips to receive the fender cladding 400. The fender cladding structure 400 is attached with the help of the plurality of clips which can be inserted into the plurality of grooves provided in the fender. The fender cladding structure 400 can be attached to fender by other way of attachment mechanism, for example, rivets, bolts, glue, weld, epoxy material, nut-bolts, but the mechanism are not so limited.
[0032] Fig. 7 illustrates attachment of rear wheel fender cladding with the wheel arch of the vehicle, in accordance with the present subject matter. In the fig. 7, the rear wheel fender cladding 704 is attached to the wheel arch of wheel 706. The rear wheel fender cladding 704 surrounds the complete wheel arch and attached to the fender by matching its contours. In order to explain the implementation and effect of the present rear wheel fender cladding 704, a cross section AA 708 is illustrated in the figure 8 and figure 9. The cross section AA 708 is cut along the extended part of the rear wheel fender and rear bumper 702. In the current vehicles, rear bumper is provided with round edges to improve the look and appearance. The rounded edges of the rear bumper increases aerodynamic drag coefficient at rear side of the vehicle which ultimately decreases the efficiency of the vehicle and creates wake area behind the vehicle.
[0033] As illustrated in the figure 9, extended portion of the fender cladding structure 704 is increased by length “L” which is referred as extended length 708a. The extended length 708a of the extended portion is decided based on the maximum possible flow separation point and the extreme end point of the rear bumper. As the length of the rear bumper increase, length of the extended portion increases. Therefore, length of the extended portion of the fender cladding structure 704 can be optimized as per dimensions of the vehicle to achieve better results. The extended portion of the fender cladding structure 704 has angle of inclination 708b which is denoted by ao. Where the base inclination angle is 0o with the surface of existing fender cladding. The inclination angle of the fender cladding 400 is reduced by ao which is in range of 2o to 20o where the best results are achieved in the range 2o to 10o.
[0034] The extended portion of the fender cladding structure 704 has variable thickness “T” which varies according to the rounded profile of the bumper. The extended portion has high thickness where round profile is more. The extended portion of the fender cladding structure is provided with a varying thickness to match the rear bumper profile of the vehicle. The extended and inclined profile of the rear wheel fender cladding structure 704 allows delayed separation of air on the rear side of the vehicle and also allows air to turn inwards towards low pressure zone behind the vehicle without any early detachment from the extended portion which results in a smaller wake region at the rear of the vehicle thus resulting in less aerodynamic drag coefficient. The important parameters of the rear wheel fender cladding structure are inclination angle (a), extended length (L) and fender cladding thickness (T) can be optimized to achieve better results for different vehicles. The optimization of the parameters depends on the shape and dimensions of the vehicle.
[0035] Fig. 10 illustrates comparison of airflow streamlines of existing fender cladding and present fender cladding on the rear wheel arch of the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. In the existing fender cladding structures reduces the air pressure at the rear side of the vehicle because the air flow detaches from the vehicle very early, 1002 indicates the Air flow line of existing fender cladding 1002. In the existing fender cladding, the air experiences an unstable and early detachment at the rear end of the vehicle, which increases the wake area at the rear of the vehicle and in turn increases the aerodynamic drag on the vehicle. In the present subject matter, the rear wheel fender cladding causes delayed air flow separation and also forces the leaving flow at the rear of the vehicle to be directed inwards the low pressure zone just behind the vehicle back gate. This increases the air pressure on the rear bumper area which ultimately reduces the aerodynamic drag. 1004 indicates the airflow line of the present fender cladding structures. As illustrated from the figure 10, the airflow line 1004 of the present fender cladding bends more towards the inward direction as compared to airflow line 1002 of the existing fender cladding. In the present subject matter, the air flow bends towards the inward direction and eliminates the low pressure zone which is just behind the vehicle rear gate. The air flow increases the pressure on the rear bumper and rear gate side which reduces the aerodynamic drag.
[0036] Although embodiments for the present subject matter have been described in language specific to structural features, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as embodiments for the present subject matter. Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system/component of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall within the scope of the present subject matter.

Claims:We claim:
1. A fender cladding structure (400) for reducing aerodynamic drag coefficient in vehicle the fender cladding structure (400) comprising:
a bowed shape portion (402) which surrounds wheel arch; and
an extended portion (404) extends rearwards from the bowed shape portion (402), wherein the extended portion (404) bends the airflow toward inward direction to reduce low pressure zone.
2. The fender cladding structure (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extended portion (404) is inclined inwards by an inclination angle (708b), wherein the inclination angle (708b) is in range 2o to 20o.

3. The fender cladding structure (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein length of the extended portion (404) is decided on basis of the maximum flow separation point and the extreme end point of rear bumper of the vehicle.

4. The fender cladding structure (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extended portion (404) has variable thickness “T” to match with profile of rear bumper.

5. The fender cladding structure (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extended portion (404) is provided on bumper of the vehicle.

6. The fender cladding structure (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fender cladding structure (400) is formed from a durable material selected from plastic and rubber.

7. The fender cladding structure (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fender cladding structure (400) attaches to fender of wheel arch.

8. The fender cladding structure (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inclined and extended profile of the fender cladding structure (400) allows delayed separation of air on rear side of the vehicle which reduces low pressure zone.

9. The fender cladding structure (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of clips is provided on inner side (408) of the fender cladding structure (400) and a plurality of grooves is provided on fender to receive the plurality of clips of the fender cladding structure (400).