An Ultra-Light Door (ULD) has been developed that is 40% lighter than a baseline 2016 mid-size vehicle’s driver side door. The ULD scope encompasses the entire door, including the door-in-white (DIW), interior trim, glazing, hardware, wiring, etc. To achieve such a substantial mass reduction while still meeting the baseline vehicle’s performance metrics (including safety, durability, NVH, appearance, etc.) at a minimal cost increase, the door design relies on a comprehensive full system approach that includes a unique architecture in addition to lightweight materials and components.
This paper details the ULD design concept, simulated performance results, the current status of vehicle level validation, and comparisons between component level CAE predicted performance and physical test results.