What's the wheel arch made of?
The wheel arch consists of two-half-external and internal, they are connected together in one detail and docking with the longitudinal. The interior part of the arch shall be fitted with additional protection-covers or lockers. When it is manufactured, they shall be shaped like the inner surface of any wheel arches. Lokers protect the arches from abrasion, protect them from stones, sand hits.
The most common covers of polyethylene, glass-plastics and ABS-plastic. The former are considered to be more reliable, as they are better confronted with shock loads, not cracked in the cold and resistant to chemical exposure.
Evolution of wheel arches
With the passage of time and the development of the automotive industry, wheel arches have also changed. In the 1930s, rear wheel arches were often closed. It was supposed to improve the aerodynamics of the car. For example, the Chrysler and De Soto models of 1934-1937 had closed rear arches of the arch, and Nash Rambler had closed wheel arches in the rear and in front. In 1955, the legendary Citroen DS19 car was presented to the public. This machine was called "goddess", "icon of style", "the most beautiful machine of the 20th century." This model has become more popular and has caused furore thanks to the capex shape of its body. Unusual glazing, round lights, non-standard body with rear closed arches made the design unusual and attractive.
For the first time, the idea of using protection for wheel arches appeared in Finland in the 1970s. The first lockers were made of [ [ aluminium]] or [ [ galvanized iron]]
The closed arches made it difficult to access the wheel, so a door to the wheel appeared over time, and then the arches began to open. Today, the vast majority of cars have open arches, but there are exceptions. For example, the hybrid Honda Insight.
For the first time, the idea of using protection for wheel arches appeared in Finland in the 1970s. The first lockers were made of aluminum or galvanized iron. The same materials were used in Soviet times. The metal covers were not the safest. In a strong impact, the damaged part could have piered the wheel. In addition, metal lockers are susceptible to corrosion, so virtually all products are made of plastic.
Deficiencies and merits of wheel arches
The main differences between wheel arches are their size and profile. Too small arches do not allow the wheels of larger size, too large arches port the appearance of the car, if the wheels of standard size are installed. Plastic linings can be found on off-road vehicles along the perimeter of wheel arches, protecting arches from light attacks and flying from under the dirt road.
Operation and repair of wheel arches
The most common types of repair and prevention of wheelers are:
-Installation of lockers and extenders. Lockers are used for security, and extenders are used when larger wheels are installed. Expansion of wheel arches is often used in tuning. Most of the time, the expander is installed on SUVs, but there are models for cars.
-Ark of reinforcing plates and plates that hide defects of the metal of wheel archers due to corrosion.
-Anti-gravel and anticorrosive means of covering the interior of the wheel archers.
-The isolation of the arches. This procedure reduces the penetration of noise into the car of the car and consists of multilayer processing of the elements of the body with vibration and bitumen materials.
In time the preventive work carried out will extend the life of the wheel arches.