Novel Sandwich Solutions to Enable Manufacture of Lightweight, Complex Shape Components

The design of military aircraft relies heavily on honeycomb sandwich structures for the high strength and stiffness to weight ratios yet is constrained by the inability to efficiently and effectively machine and form honeycomb into complex shapes. WebCore Technologies"TYCOR fiber reinforced foam core technology delivers higher structural performance, enables cost-effective design solutions and delivers significant weight savings, especially when directly compared to other structural stiffening technologies such as aluminum honeycomb as validated under NASA"s Advanced Composites Technology (ACT) project. The patented and proprietary processes by which TYCOR is manufactured allows for the incorporation of features and hard points before final processing and could enable further weight and cost reductions. A conformable and machinable form of this material, TYCOR W, is used today in wind turbine blade applications and demonstrates the versatility inherent in engineered core. The ability to preform complex shapes with tailored properties and integrated functionality will be an enabling technology in the design of future air vehicles. WebCore will team with University of Dayton Research Institute and GKN Aerospace to demonstrate how this innovative engineered core will allow construction of the lightweight, structurally efficient sandwich material systems important to reducing weight in military aircraft.