Side Door Latch/Hinge Assembly Evaluation

摘要

Ejections cases involving passenger cars (excluding sport cars) and light trucks were examined for damage description of the affected vehicles, especially to latches and hinges. It was found that ejection is a rare event, representing less than two percent (2%) of all NASS cases. Although occupant ejection incidents are relatively infrequent, the casualties are extraordinarily high. Door hinges seldom failed during car crashes and door latch failures were the primary cause of door openings. Therefore, the latch strengths are the prime target for investigation. Tests show that the ejection rates are strongly correlated with maximum latch loads and energy absorption in longitudinal direction. A lesser correlation exists between the ultimate transverse latch loads and occupant ejection rates.