Composite Bumpers Boosted

WOODRIDGE, Ill.--Hendrickson International and Delphi Automotive Systems are gearing up to produce a composite bumper for the medium- and heavy-duty truck and bus markets.

Advanced composite materials, originally developed for the aerospace industry, offer tremendous advantages to commercial vehicle manufacturers, the companies said. Composites are lighter than steel, aluminum or magnesium by up to 80 percent, helping to provide improved fuel economy, lower emissions, and increased payload capacity. They can be designed to conduct 50 percent less vibration than steel and to be more impact resistant. These corrosion-resistant composite materials could eliminate the need for painting while offering more freedom to vehicle designers to develop unique styling and aerodynamic features, they said.

“Composite technology holds great promise for the commercial vehicle market,” said Mark D. Schwabero, president and chief executive officer of Hendrickson. “Hendrickson’s long history of technological innovation and product improvement in the commercial vehicle industry combined with Delphi’s advanced material and process knowledge will bring these lightweight, durable, high performance composites to market at a very competitive cost.”

A concept composite bumper, first unveiled by Hendrickson at the Great American Trucking Show in November in Dallas, was developed using a hybrid glass and carbon fiber design weighing up to 70 pounds less than its steel equivalent. This concept targets potential applications in the medium- and heavy-duty truck and bus (classes 5 - 8) markets. The structural composite bumper is stiffer than current plastic bumpers and requires less mounting hardware, enough to support add-on items such as headlights, fog lamps, collision avoidance sensors, sight-sticks or other devices, he said. Eliminating brackets will reduce the number of component parts, help shorten assembly time, improve warranty and reduce maintenance costs for truck and bus manufacturers and their customers, he noted.

“Delphi has been researching and developing the use of composite materials in a dedicated lab since the mid-1990s,” said Paul J. Tosch, president of Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems and vice president of Delphi Automotive Systems. “By combining Delphi’s material knowledge with Hendrickson’s application expertise, Hendrickson and Delphi will both have a unique competitive advantage in their markets.”

Delphi can be found on the Internet at www.delphiauto.com. The Hendrickson website is at www.hendrickson-intl.com.