Fender Liner Bead Design for Water Splash Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle front structures, particularly in battery electric vehicles, suffer from appearance deterioration due to muddy water or debris adhering to the upper surface of the front fender liner, which is exacerbated by the simplified interior design of these vehicles, leading to increased costs when attempting to address this issue with sealing materials or covers.
Innovation Solution
A fender liner design featuring a bead formed at the rear edge portion of the front fender liner, which protrudes upward and extends in the vehicle width direction, curved convexly toward the rear side, effectively directing splashed water away from the upper surface of the fender liner. Additionally, ribs and flanges are formed on the rear edge of the fender liner to further suppress water entry and reduce flow velocity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a sealing material or cover is added to suppress dirt adhesion, then the appearance deterioration is suppressed, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rear edge portion of the front fender liner is segmented into multiple functional regions: a bead formation region that protrudes upward, a rib region that extends laterally, and a flange region that provides additional barrier. This segmentation allows each region to perform its specific function in directing and blocking water flow without requiring additional sealing materials or covers, thus maintaining appearance while avoiding increased manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a two-dimensional flat edge to a three-dimensional structured edge by forming the bead, rib, and flange at the rear edge portion. The bead protrudes in the vertical dimension, the rib extends in the horizontal dimension, and the flange provides an additional barrier dimension. This dimensional transformation creates multiple flow paths that redirect water away from the upper surface without adding separate sealing components.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the rear edge portion of the front fender liner is positioned to overlap the front edge portion of the wheel house sheet metal, then the gap is minimized, but muddy water can still enter through the gap and adhere to the upper surface
Solution Approach 1:
The rear edge portion is divided into functionally distinct segments: the bead formation region that creates a vertical barrier, the rib region that extends laterally to block water flow, and the flange region that provides an additional protective layer. This segmentation allows the structure to address water entry from multiple angles and directions without requiring a completely different design approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The bead formation region features a curved surface that directs water flow laterally along the edge portion. This curvature is designed to guide splashed water away from the upper surface of the fender liner, utilizing the shape to control fluid flow paths and prevent adhesion without requiring additional sealing components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively prevents muddy water or debris from adhering to the upper surface of the front fender liner, thereby maintaining the vehicle's appearance without the need for additional sealing materials or covers, thus avoiding increased manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
when muddy water or the like flows toward both sides in the vehicle width direction along the bead
Data Source
AI summary
The fender liner includes a front fender liner disposed on a vehicle front side of a wheel house sheet metal having a suspension tower, and a rear edge portion overlapping a vehicle lower side of a front edge portion of the wheel house sheet metal. At a rear edge portion of the front fender liner on the vehicle front side of the suspension tower, a bead protruding toward the vehicle upper side and extending in the vehicle width direction and bent toward the vehicle rear side in a plan view is formed.