Passenger Car Door Closing Effort Prediction Using Virtual Simulation and Validation

In the automobile industry, the door closing effort spells out the engineering and quality of the vehicle. After the visual impact a vehicle has on the customer, the doors are most likely the very first part of the vehicle he/she encounters, to enter and exit the vehicle. One of the customer’s very first impressions about the quality of the car is given by the behavior of the doors when opening and closing, the swinging velocity and the energy that is required to obtain a full latching that the door makes when closed by the user. Door closing effort gives an indication of how good or bad the vehicle is engineered. The purpose of this paper is to propose modifications in the door system which help in reduction of door closing effort or velocity by two different methods, EZ Slam Door and Bungee Rope. In this paper, parameters like hinge friction, hinge axis inclination, sealing, latch and air bind effect are analyzed which affect door closing effort. A virtual model is prepared in MSC.ADAMS to evaluate door closing velocity through calculating energy contribution by each parameter. Door closing effort or velocity is calculated for the existing model and to improve the existing scenario, design modifications are proposed. These design modifications after implementation have shown 20% reduction in door closing effort or velocity. Physical validation was done, and results were found in line with the virtual simulation. The correct method for door closing effort prediction is proposed based on real world customer usage pattern.