APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING STRUCTURAL PANELS HAVING CORRUGATED CORE STRUCTURES AND PANEL FORMED THEREWITH

• Main Author: INZINNA, LOUIS P
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 27.12.1994
• Edition: 5
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; LAYERED PRODUCTS; LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT ORNON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCESIN A PLASTIC STATE; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

An apparatus and method for continuously fabricating lightweight structural panels and the structural panel fabricated thereby are provided, the apparatus being capable of heating a core sheet to a temperature at which the sheet will be plastically deformable such that a corrugation forming means comprising a cylindrical forming drum having a plurality of annular recesses and a plurality of forming mandrels will form a plurality of axially extending corrugations. The fabricating apparatus is further provided with heaters to heat the surfaces of the core sheet, and one or two skin sheets to be bonded to the core sheet, the core sheet being heated to a process temperature at which the surfaces of the thermoplastic sheet become tacky and exhibit adhesive properties, and contact surfaces of the skin sheet or sheets being heated to a temperature below the core sheet process temperature, whereupon pressure applied between the skin sheets and the corrugated core sheet produces a selfadhesive bond between the sheets and forms a panel. The outer surfaces of the skin sheets are protected by maintaining these surfaces at sufficiently cool temperatures to resist distortion. The apparatus and method are especially suitable for use with glass-reinforced thermoplastic-compos-ite sheet stock of indefinite length.