Core brochure

Stronger, lighter, smarter

Optimize your product with our sandwich
composite core materials
 Make your application
stronger, lighter and smarter
Why sandwich composites? appropriate fibers, resin and core you can create
With sandwich composites you can: a product that has, for example, high thermal
• Decrease weight and increase strength insulation, tailored mechanical behavior and
• Save fuel cost or increase payload fire resistance.
• Reduce lifecycle cost
• Lower your carbon footprint Why a solution from Diab?
• Enjoy more design freedom Diab is a world-leading supplier of sandwich
composite solutions. We have long experience and
What is sandwich composite? are always at the forefront of this technology. Diab
The concept is cleverly simple. Two thin, strong is a solutions-oriented company and we believe
and stiff materials are separated by a lightweight in working together with you to find the optimal
core. The result is a strong and durable product solution to fit your needs. This brochure, based
that provides mechanical properties at much on our expertise and experience from a variety of
lower weight than traditional monolithic materials, segments over the years, will show you how we
such as single skin FRP, wood, steel or aluminum. can help you save energy and enable faster and
Sandwich composite materials also allow designers more effective solutions in many areas.
to engineer with extreme optimization to their
loading requirements. A sandwich solution can be The anatomy of sandwich composites
tailored to avoid over-engineering, saving weight Skin
and increasing performance. By choosing the
Bondline

Rigidity
Diab core

Weight

Monolithic laminate Sandwich Sandwich

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 What are the key benefits for
your application?
Optimize your products by tailoring the materials to your needs.

Stronger Adding that little extra

Sandwich composites can be engineered to The core of a sandwich composite can bring
be stronger and more durable than traditional additional features to your product, including:
materials, such as aluminum, steel or wood. • Fire, Smoke and Toxicity (FST) resistance,
ideal for public transport and airplanes
Lighter • Thermal insulation, perfect for the building
The high specific strength of sandwich composites industry and subsea applications
makes them a logical choice for weight sensitive • Excellent material replacement in areas or
products, such as airplanes, boats and wind blades. applications sensitive to rot or corrosion
• Very low water absorption for marine
Smarter applications or for environments with a lot
Allowing for increased payload, reduced fuel of moisture and condensation, such as
consumption and lower carbon footprint, sandwich aircraft interiors
composites are the smart choice for a more • Toughness and impact resistance for
sustainable world. applications within marine, transportation
and wind
Design freedom • Low maintenance and ease of repair
Sandwich composites allow for more freedom • Dielectric properties, ideal for radomes and
of design compared to conventional construction x-ray equipment
materials. Easily shapeable, they are excellent
for double curvature geometries and aero-
dynamic designs.

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 Create your product to
your needs, with tailored
materials featuring special
properties such as FST
resistance.

You can have it all: A

strong and light-weight
material that allows you to
create smarter solutions.

With great design

flexibility you can realize
your wildest dreams.
 The basics of sandwich
composites
A typical sandwich consists of two skins or laminates with a thicker structural
core in between. They are joined by resin or an adhesive.

The sandwich principle Core

A sandwich structure essentially works like an The core carries the out-of-plane shear stresses
I-beam in 2D. When a sandwich panel is loaded in the sandwich, from where a transverse load or
in bending, the skins (flanges in an I-beam) carry pressure is introduced to where it is reacted. It also
in-plane compression and tension loads and the supports the thin skins so they don’t buckle under
core (web in an I-beam) carries out-of-plane shear compression. The core can also provide thermal
loads. The further the skins are separated, the and acoustic insulation as well as toughness
stronger and stiffer the sandwich will be. The skins through energy absorption. It can be made of a
and the core are bonded with the same resin of the variety of materials, such as wood, and a multitude
skins or an adhesive layer. of expanded polymers.

Skins Adhesive
The skins are much thinner than the core. Beside the To keep the skins and the core connected, the
in-plane tensile, shear and compressive loads, the adhesive must be able to carry shear and tensile
skins also distribute local loads, such as impacts to stresses. A rule of thumb is to make sure that the
the rest of the structure. The skins can be made of adhesive can withstand the same shear and tensile
numerous materials depending on the performance stresses as the core. For a sandwich structure to
required for the sandwich composite. work as designed, it is important that the skins are
always bonded to the core.

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 The formability of
sandwich composites
allows for greater design
freedom and precise
aerodynamic shapes.

The strength of an
I-beam with the weight
Applications where
of a feather.
weight is crucial, such
as airplanes, benefit
greatly from the high
strength-to weight ratio.
 Working together
Sandwich composites offer a vast freedom of design and material combination.
Together, we can find the optimal solution to your specific needs.

Shape selected in combination with the chosen production

For curved shapes, the core can be either thermo- technology. Diab offers core finishes dedicated to
formed or supplied with cut patterns to allow it to specific processes. For example, grooving on the
easily form to the mold. To optimize weight and surface coupled with perforation to distribute the
resin consumption or simplify the manufacturing resin is typically used for resin infusion. To make
process, Diab offers different cut patterns (finishing) manufacturing as efficient and cost-effective as
dedicated to specific needs. For more information possible you can use kits of pre-cut and machined
on finishing, download the Diab Finishing brochure sheets. For more information, download the Diab
at diabgroup.com. Kits brochure at diabgroup.com.

Manufacturing process Choosing the right material for your needs

There are many ways to produce sandwich Diab provides a wide range of core materials and
composite panels. Typically FRP sandwich core finishes for sandwich composite applications.
structures are manufactured using wet lamination, Our worldwide network of technical experts is
vacuum consolidation, resin infusion, wet-preg available to support you choosing the appropriate
or pre-preg. As not all cores are suitable for all core and finishing for your product.
processes, the appropriate core has to be

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 Our range
DIVINYCELL H DIVINYCELL PN200, PN250, PX300
Our most famous core. Excellent strength-to-weight. High-density recyclable PET cores developed for
An all-purpose core used in various industries. local inserts in the way of fittings, either tapped or
bolted through.
DIVINYCELL HP
High-temperature resistant core suitable for DIVINYCELL PY
prepreg applications. Our latest addition to our recyclable PET
portfolio with high shear strain and very low resin
DIVINYCELL HM consumption.
High-performance core for tough environments, for
example in fast marine hulls. DIVINYCELL HT
An aerospace core available with comprehensive
DIVINYCELL MATRIX quality certification and traceability.
Lightweight core with superior strength-to-weight
ratio. Used in multiple industries, including wind DIVINYCELL F
and marine. A sandwich core with excellent FST properties,
suitable in commercial aircrafts interiors.
DIVINYCELL H60MC
Our latest innovation in lightweight cores. DIVINYCELL HCP
Incredibly fine cell structure for extremely low resin Core material for subsea applications, used from
absorption and improved mechanical properties. sea level to 700 meters depth.

DIVINYCELL P DIVINYCELL CY
A recyclable PET core with excellent FST properties A core with excellent insulation properties, for low
used in transport and construction industries. and cryogenic temperatures.

DIVINYCELL PN PROBALSA
A recyclable PET core with excellent strength and Cost effective natural core with high compressive
durability. properties used in marine, wind and industrial
applications.
DIVINYCELL PX
A recyclable cost-effective PET core material used
in a variety of architectural applications such as
domes and claddings.

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 Diab Group
Box 201, 312 22 LAHOLM, Sweden

Tel +46 (0) 430 163 00

info@se.diabgroup.com
diabgroup.com
November 2017

Diab is a world leader in sandwich composite solutions that make customers’ products
stronger, lighter and smarter. Diab provides a range of core materials, cost-effective kits,
finishing and in-depth knowledge on composites. Diab also provides engineering services
for composite technology through Composites Consulting Group (CCG). Diab is a participant
of UN Global Compact.