Overview
In general, sandwich panels offer a number of advantages for transport systems, such as being lightweight (increased payload), having a reduced space consumption, structural safety and reduced assembly cost.
Various R&D projects aiming to develop sandwich structures have been carried out in several sectors at European, national and company levels. These projects have produced results, but they are difficult for industrial users to access and compare.
SANDCORe aimed to collect and compare available solutions, benchmark possible sandwich solutions for concrete application cases in the rail and maritime fields, and produce a best practice guideline for potential end users. Along with a number of public workshops, this will improve the application of results from previous projects.
The strategic objective of the SAND.CORe project was to boost the applications of sandwich structures in a variety of transport sectors, with main interest on sea transport, to coordinate research and to create sustainable structures for future collaborative work.
Specific objectives of the project were:
- collection of present knowledge on sandwich structures and creation of sandwich catalogues of present applications, scientific and technological development, production, rules and regulations, in order to better analyse and understand the know-how;
- harmonisation and standardisation of sandwich solutions, including testing procedure, with unification of sandwich notations and vocabulary, enabling better understanding between involved parties in sandwich design and production;
- creation of a sandwich solutions and data catalogue;
- production of benchmark studies and comparisons of different sandwich panels in possible sandwich applications (focusing on RoRo decks, superstructures, balconies - maritime - as well as a rail vehicle cab), in which all the state-of-the-art knowledge will be used, to generate and write the guides of good practice for sandwich applications, design, production, exploitation and safety assessments;
- generation of new RTD ideas to further develop the composite sandwich technology, such as the integration of additional functions into load bearing structures, thus supporting pre-outfitting under favourable working conditions leading to improved productivity and shorter erection lead times;
- promotion of knowledge and application transfer to other sectors which traditionally do not use sandwich structures in large extent, thus to increase the market potential for new materials and technologies.
The work plan of the project comprises the following steps:
- analysis of the current state of technology in sandwich applications, design, production and in related rules and legislation using information from the partners' previous work as well as public domain information;
- structuring the available information, for example in a sandwich selection tree for potential users as well as on the project website;
- benchmark studies by applying available best practice knowledge and solutions in concrete cases defined by the industrial partners;
- elaboration of a best practice guideline for potential external users comprising available information and recommended practices;
- networking activities, such as public workshops, and the establishment of an external user group for the exchange of information and discussions with external parties.
Funding
Results
The main result of the project is the Best Practice Guide (BPG) on sandwich structures, which allows potential users to optimise their risk and avoid duplication of work.
The BPG gives a comprehensive overview on current best practices (focused on the maritime field) on general types of sandwich structures as well as on aspects and techniques concerning their design, manufacturing, joining, assembly and outfitting, inspection and repair, legislation and approval. It also provides application case studies.
It is structured into three sandwich types, which are the most commonly used in the maritime and rail sectors: all-metal, hybrid-metal (a combination of metallic and non-metallic materials) and composites.
The Best Practice Guide was included into a promotional CD-Rom and distributed to the public of the meeting in Newcastle in December 2005. The BPG was further updated in June 2006.
Other results are:
- harmonised knowledge and information on sandwich panels has been collected through an analysis of the state of the art;
- benchmark studies have been carried out which led, also through the promotion of intensified practical application of sandwich structure, to new and optimised design solution, evaluating their costs and benefits;
- a User Group with five members to exchange information and views on sandwich structure has been created.
Technical Implications
Through the definition of the future research needs a new European project was created (DE-LIGHT). This project aims to develop lightweight modules for transport systems featuring efficient production and lifecycle benefits at structural and functional integrity using risk based design. This project is the follow-up of SAND.CORe and almost all partners of SAND.CORe are involved in this project.