Design Criteria for Sandwich Panels for Building Construction

Abstract

Sandwich cladding panels comprising two metal skins and a lightweight insulating core are finding ever-increasing use as the wall and roof cladding for a wide range of building types. Their main attraction is their outstanding thermal performance but the designers and specifiers of such panels, and competing cladding systems, have to consider a wide range of other parameters in order to arrive at the best solution for their design requirements. This paper gives an overview the current scene, with particular reference to Europe, and makes specific comments on some of the current issues. Naturally, the structural design is discussed but particular attention is also paid to some of the other issues such as fire performance and durability which are less well documented.