CoreCork core material

[Herman]

That is why they use it in wild water canoes for a long time now (several years)....

[Ilan Voyager]

Originally Posted by latman

there must be a chemichal in the cork that inhibited the curing/bonding of my VE, all the skins were cured but barely attached to the core , I used light kevlar and carbon skins (60-160) GSM with 1 and 2mm cores and when they pulled apart you could smell the resin quite strongly.

edited to add photo

Probably phenol or a phenolic compound. It's known since ages that wood inhibits polyester resin cure and VE resin is a polyester derivate.
We made trials in the French Navy almost 30 years ago with composites wood/plywood glass fiber polyester; the problem has a solution but it's more expensive than a good epoxy resin...so it's useless.
But it's funny to see the obstinateness of using polyester on wood in a lot of so called shipyards, similar to the use in Mexico of alkidalic paint on galvanized surfaces with the inevitable result.

Yes, you're right. When using a new and unknown material tests are mandatory. I'm very skeptic about the supposed virtues of a non homogeneous material intrinsically weak and full of (natural) chemicals as core. Ok for a non structural application like seats as its great advantage is the "pliability".
Canoes can be successfully made from practically any material (in the XIXth cent. there was canoes in paper) from birch bark to carbon fiber passing by cotton cloth impregnated of oil paint so it's not a decisive proof. I would like to read real tests; chemical bonds of resins, peeling, shear with different thicknesses, fatigue with alternate cycles, curve of resistance at different temps, grip of screws, etc... All that apparently boring literature that permits an engineer to make a reasonable choice of material.

[Herman]

This is all I have:

http://www.corecork.amorim.com/clien.../page.asp?id=1

[Ilan Voyager]

I have seen. Practically nothing, just a few ciphers. Having only that basis, using this material in structural applications it's hard guessing or an act of faith.
The shear is not very good and that's the main problem on composites: fracture in the core, most of the time in the interface skin/core...
You can have a relatively low shear modulus if the material has a visco-elastic behaviour.
Sure there are a lot of non structural applications, and maybe after gaining experience some structural ones. At 250 kg/m3 is not very interesting...it's a lot of weight.

[groper]

This stuff is suited to applications of thin core...anything over 6mm and there's are better choices. Your people need to inderstand tho, that it behaves more like a flow mat rather than a true core like foam. Its quite unique in its practical application.

[Ilan Voyager]

Thanks Groper for the info. In this case it has many applications.

[tunnels]

Originally Posted by groper

This stuff is suited to applications of thin core...anything over 6mm and there's are better choices. Your people need to inderstand tho, that it behaves more like a flow mat rather than a true core like foam. Its quite unique in its practical application.

FORGET IT its not even worth a mention !!
I would never want to have anything to do with it for any kind of a core application not even if it wasnt used in a boat !!. Sorry !! Cork, core and fibreglass will never work ,thick or thin . Dont even go there !!
Ok What about corrigated card board !! soaked in Resin it woud be as much use !! Had one australian company trying to make panels for the side of a square water tank with Glass csm and corrigated cardboard resin soaked and csm !,was a long time ago !!. Folk lifted it onto a trailer one afternoon and 1 day later it came back in a dozen bits and the cardboard soggy and wet in a big box . Stupid people for even thinking about about trying to do something like that . !!