UltraLight Steel Auto Body - Final Report - American Iron & Steel ...

Background
Concept
Introduction
A consortium of 35 sheet steel producers from 18 countries
around the world has set new standards for successful
collaboration as well as automotive body design. Four years ago,
fierce competitors joined together in a common purpose. Today
they present the culmination of their teamwork: a lightweight steel
auto body structure that outperforms benchmarked averages and
can also cost less to build.
The UltraLight Steel Auto Body (ULSAB) Consortium was formed
to answer the challenge of car makers around the world: reduce
the weight of steel auto body structures while maintaining their
performance and affordability. This seemingly simple request
required a concerted effort by the most prominent steel
manufacturers in the world if it were to be answered satisfactorily.
Sheet steel producers from around the world joined the
consortium to design and validate an UltraLight Steel Auto Body.
The ULSAB Consortium contracted Porsche Engineering
Services, Inc. (PES) to provide engineering and manufacturing
management for the ULSAB project and worked with them to
define the project goals. They took a two-phase approach: The
concept phase encompassed a clean-sheet design of a
lightweight steel auto structure; the validation phase verified the
design through the manufacture of ULSAB structures.
The Consortium was an ingenious way to leverage funds and
resources. The ULSAB project, which has cost $22 million and
spanned almost four years, was too large for a single steel
company — or even a single region. Consortium members
contributed their time and expertise to ensure the success of this
important project.
After benchmarking nine mid-size sedans from manufacturers
around the world, PES developed mass and performance targets
for the ULSAB structure. Throughout the design process, PES
consulted with materials, manufacturing and assembly experts to
ensure that the design could be built using near-reach
technologies and available materials.
In September 1995, the Consortium announced the results of the
concept phase. The design of ULSAB indicated a weight savings
of up to 36 percent and substantially improved performance when
compared to benchmarked averages in the same class. An
independent cost study indicated ULSAB should also cost less to
produce than typical vehicle structures of that time.
Automakers and the media from around the world responded with
great enthusiasm to the results of this unprecedented steel
industry cooperative initiative. The story was covered in virtually
every member country, much to the satisfaction of the
Consortium.
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