Robust assessment of automotive door structure by considering manufacturing variations

The automotive door structure experiences various static and dynamic loading conditions 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, when 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. This results in one loading scenario but it is found that build variations in the various mechanisms mentioned above can result in different loading scenarios which should be evaluated. This paper discusses various tolerances that should be accounted for in the CAE simulations to generate a robust door assembly.