Material Optimization in console armrest to comply occupant safety in crash test

Indian passenger vehicles sales touched an all-time high in FY25.Today’s customer expects high level of aesthetics, safety and connected features in the vehicle Interiors. This has created more diverse and demanding customer base that values interior design and quality. This has led OEMs to offer modern Indian mass car interiors with features like big infotainment system, Console Armrest…etc. The vehicle console armrest assembly is an integral part of a car's interior, designed to enhance comfort, ergonomics, and functionality for the driver and passengers. The console armrest is a complex assembly of many child parts like Armrest cushion/ sliding mechanism/ latch, locking mechanism/ hinge mechanism and storage compartment etc., Console hard plastic parts are the primary source of injuries when occupants interact with them in the event of an accident. Poorly designed armrests can contribute to flyoff of child parts in the event crash and can cause injuries to occupant. Therefore, optimizing the design of the console armrest is crucial for improving passenger safety. The latch mechanism of console secures the console armrest in place when closed or opened. The plastic raw material used for latch knob determines its crash performance characteristics. The objective of this paper is to design a console armrest latch knob that meets stringent crash testing requirements and thereby enhances occupant safety in automotive applications. The research focuses on optimizing the latch knob material selection to withstand dynamic loads during crash and to avoid flyoff of child parts. This paper highlights through a case study in the iterations done to achieve the optimum performance in crash test.