Effect of environmental factors on the function of an Automotive Luggage Cover of a passenger vehicle – A case study

Abstract: - Automobile OEMs, universally, have always given high priority to the Luggage Area of the vehicle. Luggage Area primarily includes a Load Floor (the load bearing part), Side & Rear garnishes & the Luggage Shelf (or the Parcel Tray) for covering the luggage. The Parcel Tray makes the Luggage Area look neat and aesthetically appealing & is occasionally also used for carrying small items like files, papers, cushion, tissue box etc. The article under consideration in this paper is a Luggage Cover made from thermoplastic composite such as PP-Compounds (with Glass-fiber or Wood-powder), with rotating hinges towards the cabin side. Such types of Covers are predominantly in use in many markets including India. In the vehicle, the Luggage shelf is suspended on the Side Trims or Garnishes & has an elastomer interface with the back Door. The back door tends to be opened and closed in frequent intervals and the elastomer tends to harden with time. This leads to increased load on composite tray which causes deformation over a period. After deformation, the tray is highly vulnerable and can easily cause rattle noise. Restricting the rattle of the Luggage cover is challenging - especially considering its delayed failures. There are various factors that affect the interface & there are alternatives that can improve or deteriorate the condition, including the basic layout, change of properties & raw material for Rear Cushion or the material and the physical properties of the shelf itself. This paper intends to study the causes and effects of the delayed failure.