Airflow Simulation Relative to Door-Closing Operability

Easiness in closing a vehicle door has been often evaluated on a physical vehicle body, and in most cases, has not been fully studied by computer-aided engineering (CAE) in an earlier developing stage. The authors have developed a numerical method for reproducing the behavior of a closing door with a high fidelity. Characteristics of this method are that moving grid is used to reproduce the unsteady air motion caused by closing the door, and that external reaction forces including cabin pressure are coupled with the equation of the door motion to achieve a high fidelity. This method has made it possible to quantitatively evaluate cabin pressure rise and determine minimum door closing velocity, and the method has turned out to be effective.