Design and Sustainability Assessment of Lightweight Concept for an Automotive Car Module

Recently sustainability has become a priority for industry production. This issue is even more valid for the automotive sector, where Original Equipment Manufacturers have to address the environmental protection in addition to the traditional design issues. Against this background, many research and industry advancements are concentrated in the development of lightweight car components through the application of new materials and manufacturing technologies. The paper deals with an innovative lightweight design solution for the bumper system module of a C-segment gasoline car. The study has been developed within the Affordable LIght-weight Automobiles AlliANCE (ALLIANCE) project, funded by the Horizon 2020 framework programme of the European Commission. A rear crash management system module, that is currently in series production and mainly consists of conventional steel and aluminum materials, is re-engineered making use of ultra high strength 7000 series alloys. The design alternatives are described and assessed regarding the achieved weight saving. The study is complemented by a sustainability assessment of the different modules performed through the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The analysis takes into account production, use and End-of-Life stages and the results are expressed in terms of Global Warming Potential according to the CML 2001 Life Cycle Impact Assessment method.