Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Door-Closure Ear Pressure with Improved Leakage Modeling

The transient pressure rise in occupants’ ears during vehicle door closure remains a key challenge for cabin comfort, but existing simulation methods often lack accuracy or efficiency. This study develops an integrated experimental–CFD–theoretical framework. A high-fidelity vehicle model was constructed from point cloud data and validated against airtightness and door-closure tests. A theoretical model was derived and calibrated using flow hysteresis and fluctuation attenuation coefficients from CFD results. Uncontrolled leakage was represented by distributed circular holes, and the one-way flow through the pressure relief valve was implemented numerically. The refined CFD model reduced the peak-pressure and amplitude errors from 6.33% and 17.62% to 1.75% and 2.66%, respectively. The calibrated theoretical model achieved 93.94% accuracy in pressure amplitude relative to the CFD results, with much lower computational cost. An optimization strategy combining early valve opening with an auxiliary fan at the relief valve reduced peak pressure, amplitude, and pressure change rate by 25.88%, 22.83%, and 41.23%, respectively. By deeply integrating experiments, simulation, and theory with refined modeling of key physical features, this research overcomes the accuracy and efficiency limitations of traditional methods, offering a systematic solution for cabin comfort optimization and advancing forward-development capabilities in vehicle NVH.