Sandwich panels are manufactured by using two surface layers made of unidirectional (UD) thermoplastic tapes with glass or carbon fiber reinforcement and a solid core which is also a fiber reinforced thermoplastic material. The panels are compression-molded into skid plates up to a size of 2.2 by 1.6 m.
Compared to Aluminum (Al) or thermoset composites the thermoplastic materials UD-tape and DLFT provided by ElringKlinger offer high strength (800 to 1.000 MPa) in combination with high flexibility, which results in a superior damage tolerance. At low day-to-day impact loadings Al deforms permanently due to a lower strength of around 250 MPa, which can result in multiple replacements of the complete part during service. Thermoset composites fail at significantly lower impact energy levels compared to thermoplastic ones because the brittle matrix resins are less ductile.
Consisting of glass-fiber-reinforced unidirectional continuous fiber tapes (UD-tapes)
High degree of strength and stiffness combined with low density
Outstanding impact strength and impact energy absorption result in high robustness in everyday use
Effective penetration protection increases safety
Longer service life leads to reduced costs for repair and maintenance
High thermal insulation makes additional insulation layers superfluous (factor 350 compared to Al)
No additional anti-corrosion protection measures required
Recyclable due to thermoplastic base material
