Transportation Applications

Sandwich panels offer two key advantages in the transportation industry. First, the reduced weight saves on fuel costs, an important consideration in this age of increasing fuel prices.

Reduced vehicle weight also allows a corresponding increase in product volume and cargo weight which, for many commercial vehicles, increases the productivity and revenue per mile of travel.

Additionally, the sandwich panel structure provides a highly redundant load path. When damaged, the load tends to redistribute and absorb the energy of the crash, protecting passengers and cargo from impact.

Sandwich panels are being developed in Europe for use in the double hull structure of intercoastal tankers. In this instance, one panel design that was tested increased crash resistance by 73 percent, while the hull depth was reduced by 2/3. U.S sandwich panel projects under consideration include a crash-resistant rail car for transporting hazardous materials and portions of the superstructure of ships.

Any applications in which weight, strength and stiffness are important are potential applications for sandwich panels. These include railcars, truck trailers, ships and shipping containers.

Other Advantages

In addition to the favorable strength-weight ratio, sandwich panels created through automated hybrid laser welding feature exceptional straightness and flatness for superior cosmetic appeal.

The panels can be produced in such a way that they are completely smooth and unmarred on one surface. They also are produced by an entirely automated process, thereby reducing labor costs.

Sandwich panels can be made from almost any type of metal.

That allows a fabricator to make use of high strength aluminum, for example, that is not easily extruded. Fabricators can shift away from using plate materials and toward using sheet and coil materials that are less expensive and easier to handle with automated systems.

Sandwich panels allow manufacturers to achieve structural efficiencies comparable to aluminum at the cost of steel and have the potential to drastically change engineering and design in construction, bridge construction, transportation, shipbuilding and more.

Conclusions

New welding technologies are opening entirely new horizons in manufacturing and fabrication.

This new technology has the potential to reduce fabrication costs, improve fatigue and corrosion life, and reduce life-cycle costs, while improving the standard of manufacturing in so many fields.

Designers have just begun to explore their potential. New and even more exciting applications lie ahead. This technology has the potential to completely change the way companies approach the manufacturing of large structures.

Jeff Hoffart (left) is senior vice president & general manager for Equipment, Cutting & Steel Industry Products for ESAB Welding & Cutting Products — North America.

Ed Hansen is senior product manager for ESAB Welding & Cutting Products.