Solutions 1 09

SOLUTIONS The Magazine of the DIAB Group • Spring 2009

• New Middle East Operation • JEC Innovation Award for DIAB & Skandinaviska Glassystem • Aerospace, Construction, Marine, Transport & Wind Case Studies

Corporate NEWS

Middle East Expansion for DIAB Sales & Support Facility Established DIAB has enhanced its support for its customers in the Middle East by establishing a new facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

As a result of setting up this new facility, DIAB will be able to offer an even faster response to customers’ needs throughout the region. The new facility will not just be a sales operation but will also include DIAB Technologies personnel who will be able to provide DIAB customers in the region with a range of processing, structural engineering and training services. In addition the new operation will be working closely with Logistics Company Limited who distributes DIAB products in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

DIAB Wins Major Core Materials Contract for Mecca Clock Tower The potential of the Middle East market to DIAB is clearly shown by the recent winning of a contract from Premier Composite Technologies to supply all the core materials for the 35,000 square meters (377,000 ft.2) of composite cladding that will be used on the final 200 meters (656 ft.) of the Dokkae Tower in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The tower (illustrated here) will also feature the world’s largest clock. Two of the four faces of the clock will measure 43 meters (141 ft.) in diameter.

The sandwich composite cladding will comprise carbon/glass/epoxy skins over a Divinycell P thermoplastic core. This will then be covered in Italian mosaic tiles of which 13,000 square meters (140,000 ft.2) will be gold tiles.

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In addition, the clock faces will also be built using sandwich composites based on Divinycell P core. More than 600,000 LED’s will be integrated into the sandwich laminates to light the clock faces at night. Carbon/epoxy composites are also being used to construct the clock hands.

Divinycell P was chosen by Premier Composite Technologies as a result of its unique combination of properties

being able to meet the structural, environmental and fire requirements of the application.

Although suitable for a wide range of uses, Divinycell P is a particularly cost effective solution for sandwich composite applications in the construction market where its good FST (fire, smoke and toxicity) properties are often a specific requirement. www.premiercompositetechnologies.com

INDUSTRIAL

DIAB Partners Skandinaviska Glassystem to Develop Architectural Cladding Innovation Skandinaviska Glassystem (SG) h a s a d e s e r v e d re p u t a t i o n f o r producing unique building facades using predominantly glass, steel and aluminum.

In the Spring of 2007 the company was asked to produce the facade for a six storey office block in Copenhagen that would present two entirely different aspects depending on the viewpoint.

Viewed from the one side, the building would appear to have a facade that was basically a glass wall. Viewed from the opposite side, the facade would appear to be completely finished in marble. The same effect was required for all four sides of the building - a total area of 4,000 square meters (43,000 ft2).

Achieving such an effect involves the use of a complex geometric arrangement.

The traditional approach would have been to create a steel latticework on to which the travatin (a type of marble) stone cladding and glazing units would be attached. However, in the case of this building this was simply not feasible in terms of building loads, cost and installation time. A solution was required that would be significantly lighter than the steel latticework, would allow rapid installation and preserve the architect’s original vision. In addition any solution would need to meet the prevailing fire regulations.

An aerial view of the Copenhagen office block with installation of the cladding well underway.

composites (based on Divinycell P structural core) to support both the glass and marble elements. Divinycell P was chosen because it was able to meet the structural requirements of the application and was able to pass the fire testing that was carried out at SP Fire Technology in accordance with appropriate Danish building regulations.

JEC Innovation Award Already the innovatory nature of this cladding system has been recognized by the JEC organization. At a special ceremony to be held at the JEC Composites Show in Paris at the end of March 2009, SG and DIAB will be presented with a JEC Innovation Award.

A Lightweight Approach Working closely with DIAB, SG has developed an innovative, modular system that makes extensive use of sandwich

Once the decision was taken to adopt a lightweight composite approach, the laminates were designed. These were

based on the use of Divinycell P recyclable core, tri-axial, e-glass reinforcements and polyester resin. The laminates were designed on the assumption that the composite elements of the modules would take all static and dynamic (wind) loads.

DIAB Technologies engineers carried out FEA (finite element analysis) to evaluate the global behavior of each cladding module and its reaction forces into the concrete.

In addition testing was undertaken at the DIAB mechanical test laboratory in Laholm, Sweden to ensure that the method by which the 30 mm (1.2 in.) thick travatin cladding was attached to the sandwich composite component would meet Danish building regulations.

The marble is both glued to the panel and secured with metal fittings.

DIAB SOLUTIONS - Spring 2009 • 3

INDUSTRIAL Sandwich Composite Benefits Each module is approximately 4 x 4.5 meters (13.12 x 14.76 ft.). As the system is significantly lighter than the traditional approach - by a factor of around 4:1 - it is well within the permitted building loads.

Taking a lightweight approach also facilitates very rapid installation by a much smaller team than would normally be the case. Further time and cost is saved as the modules can be installed directly to the steel reinforced, concrete floors of the building virtually as soon as the floors are complete and without the need for additional supporting steelwork.

Other benefits of taking the sandwich approach include the fact that the system offers inherent insulation properties, does not rust or corrode and is basically immune from moisture uptake even if the uninstalled modules are left exposed to the elements on the building site for a prolonged period of time.

To exercise complete control over every stage of the project, SG has (again with support from DIAB) set up a new dedicated production facility to manufacture

Installation of the individual modules can be carried out by just a four man team.

DIAB Core Kits

and repeatable resulting in a more consistent and higher quality end product.

In addition, for SG there is zero core material wastage. Actual infusion time per module is 180 minutes.

To facilitate the infusion process, DIAB is supplying SG with complete core kit sets for each module type. As the core is used as the resin transfer medium, it is first grooved and perforated to ensure rapid flow rates. Then the individual kit parts are shaped and rebated as necessary using CNC machines.

As the pioneers of this concept, DIAB has unrivalled experience in the manufacture of core kits. In the case of the ‘cladding’ kits, DIAB was able to speed the kit manufacturing process by directly importing to its CAD/CAM systems the digital drawings produced by SG.

the various modules using an industrialized production system based on DIAB Core Infusion™.

The benefits of this approach is that layup time is significantly reduced and the actual infusion is both more predictable

This view of the back of the module shows the smooth finish of the sandwich composite element.

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Once the composite elements are completed they are transported to another SG facility located close to the actual building site in Copenhagen. Here the glazing units and travatin are installed.

The decision to make the assembly a two stage process was deliberate in order to minimize damage to the relatively fragile travatin and to reduce transportation costs. Installation of the completed modules onto the building is carried out by just a four person team using a specially developed, re-useable mounting fixture.

The modules are currently being installed on the building and this process is expected to be completed in the first few months of 2009. www.skandglas.se

THE DUNE CHAIR

by Jonas Lyndby Jensen

DIAB has always tried to foster good relationships with academic institutions and students. One recent example was DIAB’s Denmark operation assisting furniture designer Jonas Lyndby Jensen when he was studying at the Danish Design School in Copenhagen.

Fascinated by the golden age of Danish furniture design, he wanted to pay homage to classic Nordic shapes yet at the same time use modern materials such as sandwich composites.

As can be seen his chair does evoke memories of earlier Danish designs yet at the same time it is modern both in terms of its form and the materials it uses. Although it took Jonas two years to develop the final design and produce the prototype, the time and effort has been more than worthwhile as it is now being produced in volume by the Swedish furniture manufacturer Skandiform for the contract market.

During his studies at the Design School Jonas (who is also a qualified cabinetmaker) had experimented with composite materials as he believed they would be well suited to making strong and light, double curved shells and organic shaped furniture.

It was very important to Jonas from an aesthetic point of view to keep the shell as thin as possible (a maximum thickness of 8 mm [0.3 in.]) while still achieving the required levels of stiffness and strength.

He created the mold out of polystyrene in order that he could easily

Another view of the Dune Chair.

check the lines of the chair and to ensure that the final shape was comfortable.

He then molded the prototype shell which was based on 5 mm (0.2 in) Divinycell H grid scored material and four layers of glass fiber, wet out with an epoxy laminating system. The grid scored Divinycell material allowed Jonas to readily achieve the free flowing curves that he wanted for the shell.

He also found that he was able to cut and shape the Divinycell core with conventional woodworking tools and therefore was able to build the complete chair in the Danish Design School and did not have to resort to using (to a student) expensive third party workshops.

Once the shell was completed, it was upholstered using soft foam and felt and finally the ash legs and stretcher were glued into place. www.jonaslyndbyjensen.mdd.dk www.skandiform.com

DIAB SOLUTIONS - Spring 2009 • 5

AEROSPACE

Remos Tops the Light Sport Aircraft Charts L a s t y e a r t h e G e r m a n a i rc r a f t manufacturer Remos rose from seventh place to take the number one spot in Light Sports Aircraft (LSA) sales in the USA. In order to meet the increased demand, Remos is stepping up production at its new manufacturing facility in Pasewalk (about an hour’s drive from Berlin) from 100 to 200 aircraft a year.

Remos credits much of its surge in sales to the introduction in 2008 of the new GX model that set new benchmarks in terms of performance, handling and comfort.

Independent tests show that the Remos GX outperforms all of its competitors in terms of useable load, cruise speed, rate of climb and fuel consumption. The company maintains that one of the major contributors to the planes performance was the decision to use advanced composites for the entire airframe.

Although the fuselage is single skin carbon fiber, all flying surfaces - wings, tailplane, rudder and flaps - are carbon

The chart topping Remos GX.

fiber skins over Divinycell structural cores in order to achieve an optimum strength to weight ratio. The company did consider using honeycomb cores but trials at the company showed that laminates based on DIAB cores offered

Easy cockpit access is another plus for the Remos GX.

6 • DIAB SOLUTIONS - Spring 2009

similar overall performance levels and also a better surface finish.

Such is the strength of the airframe that even after more than 3,000 flying hours and over 20,000 landings, the structural integrity of the fuselage, wings, empennage, rudder and landing gear was found to be virtually the same as in a new plane. The GX has also been tested to +8 and -4g’s.

The Remos GX also offers very low operating costs (arguably the lowest of any LSA aircraft). Fuel consumption can be as little as 8.7 liters/hour (2.3 gph) and oil consumption is typically just 0.19 liters (0.2 quarts) per 100 flying hours. The GX can also use lower cost premium automotive fuel rather than the more expensive aviation grades. www.remos.com

THE STEMME S10-VT Uncompromised World Class Performance STEMME AG, Strausberg, Germany, is renowned for its innovative approach to the design, development and manufacture of sailplanes and motor gliders. Its five model line-up ranges from the S2, that is a pure sailplane, to the S 10-VT motor glider.

The S 10-VT clearly demonstrates how STEMME applies cutting-edge concepts to achieve world record breaking performance. Unlike most motor gliders, that tend to be a compromise between soaring and powered flight performance, it offers an unsurpassed combination of ultra-high performance soaring and efficient travel capabilities when under power.

This statement was clearly proven when in 2000 Klaus Ohlmann set in a S 10-VT the world distance record for any sailplane. Soaring the mountain waves of the Andes in South America he travelled without power a total distance of 2,463 kilometers (1,530 miles) in 14 hours. Powered performance is equally impressive with the S 10-VT being able to cruise at 240 km/h TAS (149 mph TAS) and achieve a maximum altitude of 9,140 meters (30,000 ft.). It can also take off in as short a distance as 205 meters (675 ft.) and has a powered range of up to 1,720 kilometers (1,069 miles). To glider pilots, the S 10-VT offers the advantage of complete independence from ground crews and allows the pilot to ignore weak local weather and seek better soaring conditions.

This versatility has been achieved by the combination of the S 10-VT’s highly efficient wings and its unique power train.

The wings incorporate the very latest developments in aerodynamics and materials technology and feature carbon skins over DIAB cores to optimize their strength to weight ratio. DIAB cores are also used in ailerons and tailplane.

Unlike most other motor gliders, the propeller and/or engine is not on a pylon that is raised when the pilot wants to switch to powered flight but instead is mounted in the nose - a location that allows for best propeller efficiency. The engine - a powerful turbo-charged Rotax 914 - is mounted behind the cockpit and drives the patented propeller via a drive shaft embedded in the console between the seats. For unpowered flight, the propeller is retracted into the nose cone automatically when the engine is switched off for maximum aerodynamic efficiency.

The STEMME S 10-VT in flight.

To restart the engine the nose cone is pushed forward and this also opens the cooling vents. Only when the engine starts do the propeller blades extend into the airstream due to centrifugal force. This method means that the S 10-VT suffers negligible drag or trim change during the restart period, and it can perform a normal glider circuit and landing if the engine fails to start.

The STEMME design team maintains this approach is inherently safer than the fold-out engine method which can potentially become very dangerous, very quickly if it fails to start.

Other features of S 10-VT include side-by-side seating - an ideal arrangement for social, competition or instructional flying - electrically operated, fully retractable landing gear and Schemp-Hirth air brakes. www.stemme.de

DIAB SOLUTIONS - Spring 2009 • 7

RENEWABLE ENERGY

World’s Largest Tidal Current Turbine Marine Current Turbines (Bristol, UK) was established in 2000 to develop commercial tidal energy systems. Its shareholders include ESB International, EDF Energy, and Guernsey Electricity.

In May 2008 its SeaGen tidal stream turbine was deployed in Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. This commercial-scale prototype has a maximum capacity of 1.2 megawatts - sufficient to meet the electricity needs of 1,000 homes. It is currently the world’s largest tidal current turbine.

Technology The SeaGen system generates power from sea currents by using a pair of axial flow turbine blades driving generators through gearboxes using similar principles to wind generator technology.

It can be installed at coastal locations with high tidal current velocities (as is the case with Strangford Lough) and even in parts of the open ocean where there are strong currents.

SeaGen turbines have a patented feature by which the rotor blades can be pitched through 180° in order to allow them to operate in bi-direction flows – that is on both the ebb and the flood tides. The twin power units of each system are mounted on wing-like extensions either side of a tubular steel monopile some 3 meters (9.8 ft.) in diameter.

The complete wing along with its power units can be raised above sea level to permit safe and reliable maintenance.

MCT maintain that SeaGen is more ef-

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The SeaGen system that has been deployed in Strangford Lough. Shown here in the raised (maintenance) position. Inset graphic shows the SeaGen in operational mode.

ficient, safer, easier to maintain and more environmentally-friendly than anything that has been proposed to date.

As is the case with land based wind turbines, the SeaGen system makes extensive use of sandwich composites in order to reduce weight and minimise maintenance costs. In addition to the turbine blades and the central control pod, sandwich composites are used for the large fairings that cover each of the 30 meter (98 ft.) long cross beam onto which the turbine blades are mounted.

These fairings are not cosmetic but have been carefully designed to minimise turbulence and direct the water flow towards the blades in the most efficient and precise way during both tide states.

The fairings, which cover a total area of 101 square meters (1,086 ft.2) were manufactured for MCT by Independent Composites who are also based in Bristol. For these components, sandwich composites were also chosen because they could provide the required level of impact resistance and stiffness.

In order to achieve high fiber volume fractions, a smooth surface finish and excellent skin to core bonding, Independent Composites produced the fairings out of female molds using resin infusion.

The laminates comprised quadraxial glass skins over principally a Divinycell high density, infusion grade core. The resin used was a Sicomin 8100 infusion epoxy supplied by MCMC Ltd. www.marineturbines.com www.icomps.co.uk

THE PROKON NORD GROUP A multi-faceted approach to sustainable energy The German-based PROKON Nord Group takes a multi-faceted approach to sustainable energy systems.

In addition to planning, building and operating offshore and onshore wind farms, the group is also involved in the construction and running of biomass power stations, steam generation plants and biothanol fuel manufacture. By taking this approach the Group is able to offer companies and government authorities viable and efficient energy solutions that are targeted to the specific needs of the customer.

In order to shorten delivery times on strategic components and control costs, PROKON Nord Group has established a number of wholly-owned and partlyowned manufacturing facilities. For example it has a 49% shareholding in Multibrid GmbH who design, manufacture and instal the M5000 5 megawatt wind turbines that are deployed on PROKON Nord’s offshore wind farms.

Two of the 56.5 meter (185 ft.) long blades undergoing final inspection at the PN Rotor plant.

The rotor blades for the M5000 are manufactured by a wholly-owned subsidiary PN Rotor GmbH. Based near to the town of Stade in Lower Saxony, PN Rotor was established at the end of 2007. It occupies what was formerly the Hydro Aluminium plant.

One of the massive refurbished building halls at the PN Rotor plant.

This fully-refurbished 28,000 square meter (300,000 ft2) facility was deliberately chosen by the company because it features two 480 meter (1,575 ft.) building halls that are ideal for the serial production of the M5000’s 56.5 meter (185 ft.) long, sandwich composite blades. Such is the length of the halls that the company could produce much longer blades without needing to extend the facility.

The site also allows PN Rotor to quickly ramp up production as blade demand increases. Currently the company is producing 300 blades a year.

Another reason for choosing this particular location, is that the facility offers direct access to a deep water harbor thereby simplifying transportation of the single piece blades that each weigh 16.5 tonnes (18 tons) . www.prokonnord.de

DIAB SOLUTIONS - Spring 2009 • 9

LEISURE MARINE

The Next Generation of Powercats from Markham Marine With its asymmetric hull design and the use of DIAB core infusion molding, the new 9.8 meter (32 ft.), Markham 9800 flybridge powercat from Markham Marine sets the standard as the first of the next generation big powercats.

For Markham director, Mark Hookham, the 9800 represents the culmination of ten years of background development work aimed at producing a powercat that has been designed to be the ultimate platform for game fishermen offering new levels of performance, handling, strength and safety.

When it came to building the boat, Mark and his build team partnered with DIAB Technologies to develop and refine the manufacturing process. All the composite materials were supplied by DIAB’s Australian distributor FGI. Mark chose core infusion because he believes that

Markham Marine’s new 9800 flybridge powercat.

this method is not only more environmentally-friendly as it virtually eliminates VOC emissions but it also allows Markham to achieve a hull that is both lighter and stronger than one produced using hand or spray laminating.

Infusion underway of the fully-cored hull of the 9800.

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Mark has been involved in boat building for over 45 years and for the last 30 he has been very much a leader in the development of the asymmetrical hull concept. Mark created the Markham Whaler range in the 1970’s and today’s Markham craft feature a refinement and development of the design characteristics of those early asymmetrical hulls.

Mark maintains that asymmetric hull designs are equally ideal for both large and small powercats but the benefits are different once you get up to the size of the Markham 9800, with its shaft drive and diesel power plant. Here, the asymmetric hulls of the 9800 provide exceptional stability and allow the vessel to travel smoothly through the water in a wide variety of sea conditions. They also ensure smooth water flow into and down the tunnel and generate more lift thereby allowing the boat to plane earlier than symmetrical hulls. www.markhammarine.com.au

X-Yachts’ Xc 45

Voted European Yacht of the Year 2009 On Saturday the 17th January 2009 at the Düsseldorf Boat Show in Germany, Lars Jeppesen, the Managing Director of X-Yachts, was presented with the European Yacht of the Year 2009 Award (luxury cruiser category) for the company’s new Xc 45.

As is the case with all X-Yachts vessels, the 13.86 meter (45.47 ft.) long Xc 45 makes extensive use of DIAB sandwich cores in both the hull and deck. In fact, the company has been using DIAB core materials throughout its 30 year history.

The jury, which consisted of journalists from ten of Europe’s leading boat maga-

zines, stated, “X-Yachts has made an impressive achievement with the new Xc 45, and that the compromise between comfort, safety and performance had been successful indeed”.

The jury’s citation also said, “The new Xc 45 is a true product of X-Yachts; its proud traditions, quality and style”.

The decision to produce a cruising range is somewhat a departure for the company as in the past it had concentrated on the production of one-designs and cruiser-racers.

Niels Jeppersen, the designer of the Xc 45 explains the rationale,”A lot of our

clients have owned Xs for years - often several different models - but as they grow older they are looking for something different.”

He added, “While we don’t want to distance ourselves from our racing clients, we do feel the demand is there”.

The Xc 45 is available in a variety of configurations making it equally suitable for both coastal cruising and long distance passage-making.

In addition to the Xc 45, X-Yachts also produces a sister vessel - the 12.8 meter (42 ft.) long Xc 42. www.x-yachts.com

DIAB SOLUTIONS - Spring 2009 • 11

COMMERCIAL MARINE

Mega Lifeboats from Schat-Harding Umoe Schat-Harding is now building in Norway a series of mega-lifeboats and davit systems that are destined for service on what will be the world’s largest cruise ships - the 360 meter (1,181 ft.) long, 45 meter (148 ft.) wide ‘Oasis of the Seas’ and ‘Allure of the Seas’. Both cruise ships are being built at STX Europe’s Turku Yard in Finland for Royal Caribbean International. The first vessel will enter service at the end of this year and will be capable of carrying up to 5,400 guests and 3,000 crew.

A total of 18 of the mega-lifeboats will be fitted to each ship. Each lifeboat is capable of accommodating 370 people - more than double the capacity of existing craft. Schat-Harding maintains that the lifeboats will be safer and quicker to board for large numbers of people and easier to get away from the ship as the davit does not move. They will also be safer once in the sea as they feature twin 52 kW (70 h.p.) diesel engines and are fully enclosed.

The lifeboats will be stowed and launched from a purpose designed davit system that can lower the boat from the stowed

12 • DIAB SOLUTIONS - Spring 2009

position without the need for ‘swinging out’ thereby saving valuable time should emergency evacuation ever be necessary.

Called the CRV55, each lifeboat is built on a catamaran hull to provide excellent stability and measures 16.7 meters (54.8 ft.) long x 6.6 meters (21.7 ft.) wide. They weigh 16 tonnes when stowed and 44 tonnes with 370 passengers and crew.

The lifeboats will be produced using sandwich composites based on Divinycell H grade structural cores. In addition to supplying the core materials,

DIAB Technologies process engineers have been working closely with SchatHarding production personnel to develop the vacuum infusion manufacturing process.

Commenting on the new lifeboats, Endre Eldsvik, executive vice president of Schat-Harding’s equipment division said, “These lifeboats and the associated davit systems mark a step change in the safe evacuation of large ships. I believe the CRV55 is the first of a whole new generation of very large and very safe life saving systems”. www.schat-harding.com

The Past Meets the Future in Iceland Ingimundur Arnason, an Icelandic fishing vessel owner, was faced with a problem - although his 17 meter (56 ft.) steel trawler was serviceable from a structural standpoint, the wheelhouse was badly damaged due to rust and general wear and tear.

Rather than re-build in steel, Arnason decided to go for a sandwich composite replacement. As such an approach had never been undertaken before in Iceland he looked to DIAB and its Icelandic distributor, Infuse ehf., to provide direct technical assistance in terms of laminate design, material recommendations and engineering calculations.

Using one-off, contact molding, the wheel house was built by Arnason and his team and subsequently installed last Autumn. As can be seen here the 41 year old vessel has been re-born.

Looking as good as new. The trawler with its new DIAB-cored composite wheelhouse.

Despite being a third larger than the steel one it replaces, the new wheelhouse is substantially lighter - weighing in at 1,660 kg. (1.83 tons) as opposed to the 4,200 kg. (4.63 tons) of its predecessor. This

The sorry state of the steel wheelhouse.

significant decrease in top side weight greatly improves vessel stability.

A firm believer in sandwich composites, Arnason finds it absolutely bizarre that wood and steel are still used to build commercial vessels. “A commercial fishing vessel is a business tool”, he says, “and as in any business there are two top priorities when buying equipment: long term cost and safety”. He adds, ”As any experienced vessel owner will tell you, the maintenance cost of a composite vessel is a fraction of one built from steel or wood, so composites win that battle hands down”.

Cost is often cited as a reason for not going the sandwich composite route but

as Arnason states, “The composite materials for the total job amounted to less than 2% of the total cost which is basically irrelevant in overall cost terms”.

At the outset Arnason had a hard time convincing his two business partners to take the sandwich composites approach. Reluctantly they agreed. During one fishing trip the new wheel house took a very hard impact from one of the vessel’s heavy steel booms. The impact was so great that the boom was bent but the composite wheelhouse remained undamaged. Needless to say the former orthodox ‘steel men’ now view sandwich composites in an entirely different light and are looking to build their next fishing boat out of sandwich.

DIAB SOLUTIONS - Spring 2009 • 13

COMMERCIAL MARINE

The Professional Powercraft P56 A new milestone in protection vessels P ro f e s s i o n a l P o w e rc r a f t ’s P 5 6 represents a new milestone in protection vessels with its ability to achieve speeds of 70 knots + while offering an operational range of 330 nautical miles. It is available in a variety of configurations enabling it to be equally suitable as fast attack boat, for special forces work and coastal surveillance.

Designed by Michael Peters Yacht Design, the 17 meter (56 ft.) L.O.A. P56 provides exceptional handling and performance in high sea states, making it perfect for offshore protection and patrolling activities.

The P56 is being built at a new worldclass manufacturing operation in the Port Klang Free Zone, Malaysia. Here the company is making extensive use of advanced sandwich composites and the latest manufacturing techniques in

Professional Powercraft’s P56 which is capable of achieving speeds of over 70 knots.

order to produce boats that are lighter, stronger and faster than the competition and have lower through-life costs.

DIAB Technologies has been intimately involved in the build process for the P56.

It has worked closely with Professional Powercraft’s fabrication personnel to develop the manufacturing process that is based on DIAB core infusion. Spe-

cifically on the P56, DIAB Technologies carried out re-engineering, developed the Divinycell core kit and provided onsite infusion training for the build team.

As a result of this work, the P56 is now significantly lighter yet at the same time is stronger and more durable. In addition, the overall build time is much faster.

A unique feature of the P56 infusion is that the hull, longitudinal girders and the cross beams are fully cored and are produced in a one shot operation. This 3-D infusion approach not only speeds the manufacturing process but also ensures excellent skin to core bonding.

The P56 with cored girders in position just prior to the application of the vacuum bag.

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DIAB Technologies has continued to be involved with Professional Powercraft.

Technologies engineers have also developed the Divinycell core kit for the company’s smaller (14 meter [46 ft.])

P46 patrol boat and have produced a preliminary laminate design for a new 36 meter (118 ft.) crew boat. www.professionalpowercraft.com

TRANSPORTATION

High Performance Sandwich Composite Military Containers from TAM AS Based in Andslimoen, near Tromsø in Norway, TAM AS has specialized for more than 25 years in the design and production of sophisticated mobile containers/shelters that are primarily used to house communication equipment and radar systems and to act as transportable command posts.

Tam’s extensive range also includes expandable containers and units that can be mounted directly to the chassis of a HMMWV vehicle (better known as a Humvee).

In addition to supplying leading communications and radar equipment suppliers such as Kongsberg, Thales and SAAB, TAM is also a direct supplier to the Norwegian Peacekeeping Forces and to the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority .

This TAM container has been designed to fit directly to the chassis of a HMMWV vehicle.

As is the case with any hardware of this type, the containers that TAM produces have to meet very exacting military and ISO standards. They must provide, at all times, high levels of climatic, impact and

This ISO certificated expandable container is based on sandwich panels with no stiffeners or framework and features an integrated generator and HVAC system.

RF protection to the equipment and any occupants. At the same time they need to be as light as possible so that they can be readily and easily transported to all four corners of the world at a moment’s notice.

In order to produce a container that offers low weight, good insulation, high strength and is virtually maintenancefree, TAM has designed and developed a proprietary production system that is based on Divinycell sandwich cores and aluminum skins that are securely bonded together using a vacuum bagging manufacturing process. A big advantage of this approach is that such is the strength of the resulting panel that TAM is able to reduce, and in many cases eliminate completely, the need for a structural frame. Moreover the Divinycell core provides high levels of thermal and acoustic insulation. www.tam.no

DIAB SOLUTIONS - Spring 2009 • 15

Technical Tip In this and future issues of ‘Solutions’ we will be asking various members of the DIAB Technologies team to provide useful hints and tips to those involved in the design, engineering and manufacture of sandwich composite components. Here process engineer, Andreas Forsberg, explains the importance of carrying out a final drop test prior to commencing the actual infusion.

Always Perform a Drop Test Prior to an Infusion We would always recommend that a drop test is performed immediately before the actual infusion takes place to check vacuum integrity.

This simple operation need only take a few minutes but it can save a lot of time and money in the end. Connect a manometer (vacuum gauge) to the vacuum bag and record the

pressure level. Then close all connections to the vacuum pump and note if the pressure drops during a time period of 5 minutes. Based on our extensive experience of large infusions, we know that if the pressure drops by more than 15%, you need to start searching for leaks and seal them and then carry out a new drop test.

E Z www.diabgroup.com

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United Arab Emirates Tel +971 (0)4 3371587 info@ae.diabgroup.com

UK

USA

Tel +44 (0)1452 50 18 60 info@uk.diabgroup.com

Tel +1 (972) 228-3500 info@us.diabgroup.com

DIAB is the world’s largest producer of structural foam core materials with production facilities in Australia, China, Ecuador, India, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden, Thailand and the USA.