Bumper System Mass Reduction through Hybrid Material and Process Strategy

With the increased focus on fuel economy in the automotive industry today vehicle mass reduction is becoming increasingly important to automotive engineers. A common method to reduce mass for bumper reinforcement beams is to use aluminum extrusion technology. However, the use of aluminum extrusions comes at a higher cost than comparable steel systems. Two hybrid design approaches for bumper reinforcement beams are presented in order to reduce mass while maintaining a lower cost than aluminum bumper systems.