Motor Vehicle Fender with Angled Deflection and Removable Bottom

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Solution Overview

Problem

Off-road vehicle fenders are prone to damage from debris and vegetation, and they trap mud and debris, leading to corrosion and transportation of unwanted organisms, while also posing a risk to animals and causing damage during impact.

Innovation Solution

Designing fenders with a four-sided, enclosed structure that includes a downward extending front and rear portion, with angled top and outer sides to deflect vegetation and a removable bottom cover for easy cleaning, and incorporating features like turn signal openings and braces for added strength.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the fender uses a traditional formed sheet structure, then it is easy to manufacture and install, but it is easily damaged by debris and vegetation and cannot withstand greater impacts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimpact resistanceVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The fender is divided into multiple segments including a main body portion, an impact portion with energy-absorbing cells, and a reinforcement portion. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through modular construction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The fender employs composite structural design combining solid reinforcement portions with cellular energy-absorbing portions. The impact portion contains a plurality of cells that collapse progressively to absorb impact energy, creating a composite structure that achieves high strength and energy absorption without requiring uniformly thick heavy-gauge material throughout

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the fender has a uniform distance extension from the vehicle body, then it has simple geometry and is easy to manufacture, but it creates blunt impacts that damage vegetation and animals

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimpact reduction to vegetation and animalsVSAvoidfender geometry complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The fender features asymmetric geometry where the impact portion extends further laterally than the main body portion, creating a tapered profile. The impact portion has a greater lateral extension distance than the uniform extension of the main body, allowing gradual deflection of vegetation and animals rather than blunt impact

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The impact portion incorporates curved surfaces and rounded edges instead of sharp angular transitions. The cellular structure within the impact portion creates a progressive deformation zone that smoothly redirects forces, reducing harmful blunt impacts on living organisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Reliability

If the fender has a closed structure, then it increases structural strength and durability, but it traps mud and debris underneath causing corrosion and making cleaning difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural durabilityVSAvoidcleaning accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The bottom cover is designed as a removable component that can be detached from the main fender body. This extraction of the bottom closure element provides access to the interior space for cleaning accumulated mud and debris, while maintaining the enclosed protective structure during normal operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The bottom cover transitions from a fixed closed state during operation to an open accessible state during maintenance. This dynamic configuration allows the fender to maintain structural integrity and protection during use while enabling easy cleaning when needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Strength

If the fender uses thicker material for durability, then it can withstand greater impacts, but it increases weight and may cause more damage to animals during impact

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimpact withstanding capabilityVSAvoidimpact force on animals

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The impact portion contains pre-designed cellular structures that act as energy-absorbing elements before impact occurs. These cells are arranged to collapse in a controlled sequence during impact, dissipating kinetic energy through progressive deformation and reducing the peak force transmitted to animals or other objects

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentUS10407110B2Motor vehicle fender

Publication Date: 2019.09.10 NAADE INC

AI summary

A motor vehicle fender has inner and outer sides joined to top and bottom covers to form a four sided, closed structure having a downward extending front portion, generally straight middle portion and a downwardly extending rear portion encircling the top portion of a wheel well of a motor vehicle. The top cover angles inward toward the vehicle and downward toward the ground so the top, outer edge of the fender protrudes to deflect vegetation from the top of the fender, and the outer side angles inward and downward so the top, outer edge protrudes to deflect vertically growing vegetation from parts of the outer side of the fender.