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As one of the most important auto-body moving parts, door hinge is the key point of door design and its accessories arrangement, also the premise of the door kinematic analysis. We proposed an effective layout procedure for door hinge and developed an intelligent system on CATIA CAA platform to execute it. One toolbar and five function modules are constructed - Axis Arrangement, Section, Parting Line, Kinematic, Hinge Database. This system integrated geometrical algorithms, automatically calculate the minimum clearances between doors, fender and hinges on sections to judge if the layout is feasible. As the sizes of the clearances are set to 0s, the feasible layout regions and extreme start/end points are shown in parts window, which help the engineer to check the parting line and design a new one. Our system successfully implemented the functions of five modules for the layout of door hinge axis and parting line based on a door hinge database.

This paper focuses on the analysis and evaluation of acoustical design criteria to produce a plausible 3D sound field solely via headrest with integrated loudspeakers at the driver/passenger seats in the car cabin. Existing audio systems in cars utilize several distributed loudspeakers to support passengers with sound. Such configurations suffer from individual 3D audio information at each position. Therefore, we present a convincing minimal setup focusing sound solely at the passenger’s ears. The design itself plays a critical role for the optimal reproduction and control of a sound field for a specific 3D audio application. Moreover, the design facilitates the 3D audio reproduction of common channel-based, scene-based, and object-based audio formats. In addition, 3D audio reproduction enables to represent warnings regarding monitoring of the vehicle status (e.g.: seat belts, direction indicator, open doors, luggage compartment) in spatial accordance.

With the continuous improvement of vehicle air leakage performance, an aural discomfort phenomenon had been occurred at the instant of vehicle door closing. There are many studies on door closing sound quality in past 20 years, but there is little publications on the study of the aural discomfort due to a transient high air pressure fluctuations. In this paper, the relationships of passenger’s aural discomfort produced by interior air pressure fluctuations are systematically studied. The ratio of door surface area to passenger compartment volume and other related parameters such as the cross-sectional area of a vehicle, the air extractor size, and the vehicle body air leakage under positive pressure are also studied through CAE analysis and verified through a large number of objective measurements and subjective vehicle evaluation.

Squeak and rattle concerns accounts for approximately 10% of overall vehicle Things Gone Wrong (TGW) and are major quality concern for automotive OEM’s. Objectionable door noises such as squeak and rattle are among the top 10 IQS concerns under any OEM nameplate. Customers perceive Squeak and rattle noises inside a cabin as a major negative indicator of vehicle build quality and durability. Door squeak and rattle issues not only affects customer satisfaction index, but also increase warranty cost to OEM significantly. Especially, issues related to door, irritate customers due to material incompatibilities. Squeaks are friction-induced noises generated by stick-slip phenomenon between interfacing surfaces. Several factors, such as material property, friction coefficient, relative velocity, temperature, and humidity, are involved in squeak noise causes.

The intent of this paper is to document comprehensive test-based approach to analyze the door-closing event and associated sound using structural and acoustic loads developed during the event. This study looks into the door-closing phenomenon from the structural interaction point of view between the door and the body of the vehicle. The study primarily focuses on distributing the door and body interaction as discrete multiple structural and acoustic phenomena. It also emphasizes on the structural and acoustic loads developed by the discretized interactions at the interfaces between the door and the body frame. These interfaces were treated to be the load paths from the door to the body. The equivalent structural and acoustic loads were calculated indirectly using the well-known Transfer Path Analysis (TPA) methodology for structural loads and the Acoustic Source Quantification (ASQ) methodology for acoustic loads.

In order to provide an accurate estimation of fatigue life of automotive door hinges and check strap mounting location, it is crucial to understand the loading conditions associated with opening and closing the door. There are many random factors and uncertainties that affect the durability performance of hinge and check strap mount structures in either a direct or indirect way. Excessive loads are generated at the hinge and check arm mounting region during abuse conditions when opening the door. Repeating the abuse conditions will lead to fatigue failures in these components. Most influencing parameter affecting the fatigue performance for the door was the loads due to hinge-check arm sensitivity stoppage and the distance between hinge and check strap attachments. However, the probability of occurrences was low, but the impact is high.

This paper focuses on the optimization of the cross-section of a panel type impact door beam. The key parameters of the cross-section of the beam were artificially changed by using a geometry morphing tool FCM (Fast Concept Modeler), which is plugged in to CATIA. Then, the metamodel of FE (Finite Element) analysis results was created and optimized using LS-OPT. The ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) analysis of results was carried out to find the factor of weight reduction. Finally, a new cross section concept was proposed to overcome the limitation of old structure. The optimization was carried out for the beam with the final cross-section to have 10 % or more reduction in total weight.

The functional performance of the mechanism plays a vital role in attracting customer concentration towards the product. It is the first interface for interaction with the customer. Hence it is important to evaluate the functional performance at the time of the design phase itself in order to eliminate the possibility of an increase in proto-builds. The functional performance of a mechanism comprises parameters like, a mechanism should perform its function for which it is designed, with minimum effort required and ease in functionality. Evaluation of such parameters at the design stage involves many assumptions and this brings chance variables in the methodology. In order to eliminate these assumptions, a methodology has been developed using the multi-body dynamics (MBD) model of mechanisms like gear shifting mechanism and cabin door outer handle mechanism.

The automotive door structure experience various static and dynamic loading conditions while going through an opening and closing operation. A typical swing door is attached to the body with two hinges and a check strap. These mechanisms carry the loads while the door is opened. Similarly, while closing the door, the latch/striker mechanism along with the seal around the periphery of the door react all loads. Typically, computer aided engineering (CAE) simulations are performed considering a nominal manufacturing (or build) tolerance condition, that results in one loading scenario. But while assembling the door with the body, the build variations in door mechanisms mentioned above can result in different loading scenarios and it should be accounted for design evaluation. This paper discusses various build tolerances and its effect on door durability performances to achieve a robust door design.

Vehicle fire investigators often use the existence of burn patterns, along with the amount and location of fire damage, to determine the fire origin and its cause. The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of ventilation location on the interior burn patterns and burn damage of passenger compartment fires. Four similar Ford Fusion vehicles were burned. The fire origin and first material ignited were the same for all four vehicles. In each test, a different door window was down for the duration of the burn test. Each vehicle was allowed to burn until the windshield, back glass, or another window, other than the window used for ventilation, failed, thus changing the ventilation pattern. At that point, the fire was extinguished. Temperatures were measured at various locations in the passenger compartment. Video recordings and still photography were collected at all phases of the study.

Interiors of past vehicles were created to satisfy specific functions with appearance being a secondary consideration, but in the present & future market with ever increasing vehicle luxury, decoration of vehicle has become a prime focus in automobile industry along with the safety & economy. Automotive interiors have evolved over the years from a collection of trims covering bare sheet metal panels to add quality & richness of interior cabin, ultimately delivering greater value to customers. One such area in interiors is Side door trims serving the dual purpose of functionality and creating a pleasing environment too. The aesthetic appeal to the Side door trim is added usually through a Door trim insert having a decorative skin pasted on to the plastic base. And the selection of pasting technique for pasting decorative film on to the plastic base insert is a challenge for an automotive interior designer.

Understanding the resonant behavior of vehicle closures such as doors, hoods, trunks, and rear lift gates can be critical to achieve structure-borne noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) performance requirements, particularly below 100Hz. Nearly all closure systems have elastomer weatherstrip components that create a viscoelastic boundary condition along a continuous line around its perimeter and is capable of influencing the resonant behavior of the closure system. This paper outlines an approach to simulate the static and dynamic characteristics of a closed-cell Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) foam rubber weatherstrip component that is first subjected to a large-strain quasi-static preload with a small-strain sinusoidal dynamic load superimposed. An outline of a theoretical approach using “phi-functions” as developed by K.N. Morman Jr., and J.C.

Currently, the use of numerical and analytical tools during a vehicle development is extensive in the automotive industry. This assures that the required performance levels can be achieved from the early stages of development. However, there are some aspects of the vibro-acoustic performance of a vehicle that are rarely assessed through numerical or analytical analysis. An example is the modeling of sound transmission through vehicle sealing systems. In this case, most of the investigations have been done experimentally, and the analytical models available are not sufficiently accurate. In this paper, the modeling of the sound transmission through a vehicle door seal is presented. The study is an extension of a previous work in which the applicability of the Hybrid FE-SEA method was demonstrated for predicting the TL of sealing elements.

The ThyssenKrupp InCar Project is a comprehensive R&D development that gives automotive manufacturers modular solution kits for body, chassis and powertrain applications. The solution kits developed within this project offer weight reduction, cost savings or improved functionality. This paper will focus on the two front door solutions developed within the InCar project. The first door solution, called the Lightweight Door, achieved a 13% weight reduction. This door features a 4-piece tailored blank inner panel and a sandwich material outer panel. The second door solution, called the Advanced Door, is a completely new and innovative door architecture that uses a 2-piece tailored blank mid panel and ultra thin Dual Phase 500 outer panel to achieve an 11% weight reduction. Prototypes were manufactured and tested for both door solutions.

Described in this paper is a component test methodology to evaluate the door trim armrest performance in an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) side impact test and to predict the SID-IIs abdomen injury metrics (rib deflection, deflection rate and V*C). The test methodology consisted of a sub-assembly of two SID-IIs abdomen ribs with spine box, mounted on a linear bearing and allowed to translate in the direction of impact. The spine box with the assembly of two abdominal ribs was rigidly attached to the sliding test fixture, and is stationary at the start of the test. The door trim armrest was mounted on the impactor, which was prescribed the door velocity profile obtained from full-vehicle test. The location and orientation of the armrest relative to the dummy abdomen ribs was maintained the same as in the full-vehicle test.

The door closing sound is one of the important quality of a vehicle, and it is useful to study the improvement method of closing sound. As a step to clarify the relationship between the door structure and closing sound, it is attempted to correlate the formation of closing sound with the vibration, and explained that the effect of structural modification aimed to improve the closing sound from the viewpoint of vibration. First, the formation process of the vibration during the door closing is clarified through the analysis method of transient vibration using the pulse laser holography. And the quality of closing sound are evaluated based on the time historical fluctuation of frequency characteristics. Next, the correlation between the closing vibration and sound are studied, and for the case of that the closing sound are changed by the structural modification, the correlation are confirmed.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University recently conducted an SAE sponsored research study investigating directional stereotypes of six types of automobile controls: power mirrors, power windows, manual windows, stalks, generic controls, and power door locks. The objective was to determine stereotype strength and the reasons for the strengths. Two hundred subjects participated in this study. This paper provides an overview of the results of the study and recommendations made therefrom.

This study was conducted to examine the effect of flashing conditions on the resulting temperature profile during flash welding automobile door frames. Previous work on temperature profiles of flash welds has shown that at some point in the welding cycle a steady state temperature is reached, minimizing the need for further flashing. The indication of such a minimum flashing time allows flashing conditions for any application to be optimized. Unfortunately, previous work has been limited to rather heavy section materials, and the results could not be directly applied to the flash welding thin sections typical for door frames. This program was a preliminary study to examine the effects of initial flashing velocity and flashing acceleration on the resulting temperature profiles in U-shaped channel sections. Work was done on a cam driven flash welding machine supplied. Flashing conditions were varied by using cams with different profiles.

This paper describes a mixed hardware and software implementation for the SAE-J1850 protocol (1). This implementation is general and can be adapted to most J1850 based systems. Each node is entirely managed by one ST9 microprocessor. That means that the same micro controls the application and the bus. To interface with the bus the micro uses one ST9 16-bit timer and two register banks. As a result this system can be implemented using any ST9 microprocessor. Only a simple external circuitry is needed to drive and buffer the bus, as well as filtering the incoming signals. Bit decoding, CRC check/generation and consistency checks are done internally to the micro, thanks to the sophisticated hardware of the standard ST9 16-bit timer. The data link, network, transport, session and presentation layers are implemented by software.

Negative pressure around the front pillar of a vehicle travelling at high speed deforms the door frame in the outward direction. This causes the aspiration noise. Finding a method for the reduction of the resulting air aspiration noise is a goal of this study which analyzes this phenomenon. The method proposed here can be applied to find effective measures to reduce aspiration noise at the early stages of vehicle development.