• CAE Simulations
• Car Body
• Correlation
• Performance Engineer
• Structural Rigidity

This thesis investigates the impact of the rigidity of vehicle functional components, specifically handles, door panels, and back doors, on customer perceptions of quality and robustness. The study focuses on setting new rigidity target settings for Flush Handles and Semi-Flush Handles, based on survey's participants' feedback on perceived quality.

Additionally, for the Power Back Door development, a new prediction method was devised to evaluate the success of the door's latching mechanism under force imbalances. The method, which features physical tests and virtual simulations, aims to establish a relationship between the structural rigidity of the back door and the lock's transversal displacement, a critical parameter for assessing misalignment between the lock and the striker. Understanding this relationship enables reliable predictions regarding latching success.

Key outcomes include the establishment of reference rigidity values for Flush Handles across Toyota's car segments A, B, and C, the identification of significant outer panel deformation effects on Semi-Flush Handles, and the development of an accurate prediction method for future Power Back Door projects. This study emphasizes the importance of avoiding over-engineering while meeting market quality expectations, highlighting the value of Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) in predicting structural performance and ensuring correlation accuracy.

This thesis investigates the impact of the rigidity of vehicle functional components, specifically handles, door panels, and back doors, on customer perceptions of quality and robustness. The study focuses on setting new rigidity target settings for Flush Handles and Semi-Flush Handles, based on survey's participants' feedback on perceived quality. Additionally, for the Power Back Door development, a new prediction method was devised to evaluate the success of the door's latching mechanism under force imbalances. The method, which features physical tests and virtual simulations, aims to establish a relationship between the structural rigidity of the back door and the lock's transversal displacement, a critical parameter for assessing misalignment between the lock and the striker. Understanding this relationship enables reliable predictions regarding latching success. Key outcomes include the establishment of reference rigidity values for Flush Handles across Toyota's car segments A, B, and C, the identification of significant outer panel deformation effects on Semi-Flush Handles, and the development of an accurate prediction method for future Power Back Door projects. This study emphasizes the importance of avoiding over-engineering while meeting market quality expectations, highlighting the value of Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) in predicting structural performance and ensuring correlation accuracy.