Auto/Steel Partnership - American Iron and Steel Institute

LIGHTWEIGHT FRONT END STRUCTURE
Phase I Final Report
Bumper Design
Cost Summary
Bumper 3 and Bumper 4 designs are the simplest of all the designs,
requiring minimum assembly. Consequently, their unit price is the lowest
of all the bumper systems (Ref. 6). They do have the highest tooling cost
due to the presence of the energy absorbing tear drop features. These
designs are also the most efficient in enhancing the performance of the
front-end structure in high-speed crashes.
Bumper 1 design is the most complex of all the designs, requiring
significant assembly. There is also a high cost associated with the
aluminum-honeycomb energy absorber. Consequently, its unit price is the
highest of all the bumper systems. Furthermore, this design is not as
efficient as Bumper 3 in high-speed crashes.
Bumper 2 and the Original ULSAB Bumper designs have a unit price
that is slightly higher than that of Bumper 3, and have a lower tooling
cost. However, these designs are not as efficient as Bumper 3 in highspeed
crashes. In addition, the Original ULSAB Bumper fails to meet the
Danner test.
The bumper costs are summarized in Table 4.3. The assumptions used to
derive the bumper costs are listed below.
Bumper Tooling Cost Unit Cost
Original ULSAB $780,000 $80
First Bumper $950,000 $145
Second Bumper $780,000 $85
Third Bumper $1,150,000 $78
Fourth Bumper $1,150,000 $78
Table 4.3: Comparison of Bumper Costs
Auto/Steel Partnership
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