Stiff and Light Panelling for Cruise Ships

One of the major benefits of sandwich cored structures is the increased stiffness values that can be achieved. A recent application that clearly highlights this feature is a series of light weight panels that were fabricated to cover the life-boats on two large cruise ships, 'Radiance of the Seas' and 'Brilliance of the Seas'. For each ship around 980 square meters (10,550 ft2) of panelling was produced. Manufactured by Hahlbrock GmbH, each panel has an unsupported span of approximately 3.70 meters (12 ft.) yet is capable of withstanding hurricane force winds. Divinycell H 80 core material was chosen because of its good dynamic load capabilities coupled with it being easy to form and fabricate using a resin infusion process. When complete the edges of the panels were bonded directly to each ship's steel superstructure using a high performance adhesive. As can be seen in the photograph above, the 'rib-less' panelling shows a clean, uninterrupted profile to be achieved that aesthetically enhances the ship's lines.