Why composite materials work so well
As with the principles that make a steel I-beam so strong, it is the outside faces of a composite that does most of the work when the sheet is subject to bending, so separating these faces makes for efficient use of the material.
For a composite to be most effective:
- The core needs to have good compression resistance and shear strength.
- The skin material needs to have a high modulus and tensile strength.
- The adhesive bond of skin to core is critical for maintaining composite performance.
Composites: A sustainable choice
This efficient use of materials means less raw materials are needed to create high performance sheets.
Coretinium derives its performance from the high quality pre-finished steel skins
The high strength of steel
The high Young’s modulus of steel makes it a very effective skin material compared to other options:
The other benefits of steel
Steel offers some significant benefits over other traditional skin materials:
- Durable – UV resistant skin.
- Fire safe – A1 non-combustible.
- Resistant to creep.
- Magnetic.
- Easy to process on CNC.
- Easy to mechanically fix to.
- Strong stable surface for adhesive.
- Recyclable*.
* With typically 85% of product weight coming from the Coretinium® steel skins; at its end-of-life the composite sheet can be considered as steel scrap and recycled back into the steel making process without the need to separate the core from the skin.
Optimised materials
Colorcoat Prisma® pre-finished steel outer skins combine to provide enhanced aesthetics and long-term performance and durability.
Colorcoat Prisma® pre-finished steel layers
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