Mr.Navalkumar Kavthekar1 and Dr.Prof.Avinash Badadhe

In the automobile industry, the term build quality is a quality which is perceived by customer by his senses viz. sight, sound, touch and smell. Door closing effort gives an indication of how good or bad the vehicle is engineered. The purpose of this paper is to propose modification in the door system which helps in reduction of door closing velocity. In this paper, parameters like hinge friction, hinge axis inclination, sealing, latch and air bind effect are analysed which affects door closing effort. A mathematical model is prepared to evaluate door closing velocity through calculating energy contribution by each parameter. Door closing velocity is calculated for the existing model and to improve the existing scenario, design modifications are proposed. These design modifications after implementation have shown reduction in door closing velocity by 22.8 %. Physical validation is done and results were found in line with the theoretical calculations

Door closing velocity, Perceived Quality, Hinge axis, inward and outward angle, forward and rearward angle, Compression Load Deflection, Latching resistance and check strap resistance & Energy