Weight Reduction with Sandwich Material on Front End Carrier Application

This paper deals with a Valeo proposal to reduce the weight of the front end carrier, especially in the case of steel carrier, whose weight can reach 8 to 10 kg. The technology proposed by Valeo is a sandwich material made of two steel layers and one polymer layer in the middle, developed by Arcelor, a steel supplier.

What will be highlighted in this document is the application of this technology to an existing front end carrier design. First of all, static simulations are performed to evaluate the potential weight reduction. Parts stamped with serial tools are manufactured and tested. Correlation with simulation is then performed to confirm the weight saving. This Valeo solution allows a weight reduction of at least 15 % compared to an all-steel carrier.