Prediction of Clamp Loss for Sunroof Mountings under Vehicle Operating Conditions

Sabarinathan Srinivasan; Roshan N Mahadule; Ramesh Koduri; Ramesh Palamalai

doi:10.4271/2021-01-0796

A vehicle fitted with a sunroof has structural challenges due to the mountings of the assembly with the Body-In-White parts. The major challenges include water leakage, noise and durability issues. This results in warranty issues and cost penalties for the Original Equipment Manufacturer. The focus of this paper is to address the challenges due to the mounting issues in the sunroof. The clinching process of the sunroof panels results in the reduction of the contact area for the clamping process. This reduction could result in bolt slippage either during the assembly of the vehicle or during the operating conditions. The sunroof module is also prone to cracks and bulging, due to bolt slippage.

The Virtual engineering simulation used in this study represents the clinching process and the variations in the surface of the body panels. In addition, the clamping of the Body-In-White to the sunroof module is represented for the assembly torque considering the frictional characteristics. Suitable material curves are used for the sunroof module. The operating conditions of the vehicle is considered. The effect due to road loads is considered in the simulation process in addition to the clinching and the clamping process.

Generic and Extracted Accelerations from the Road load is used as the input for the virtual simulation. Solutions are provided to the slippage of the bolts considering the clinching, clamping and the operating conditions.

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Prediction of Clamp Loss for Sunroof Mountings under Vehicle Operating Conditions 2021-01-0796

SAE MOBILUS