Weight of wetted out core mat - various types

Hey guys, I could use a bit of help on this one. Specifically, I'm looking to build a few small composite parts, overall size say 1sqft & under. One's which need to be highly impact resistant, as well as light weight. Call it under 1lb/sqft or so. And the idea of going with cores is an intriguing one, for the stiffness to weight ratio, & to some degree, impact resistance. Plus I've done a decent amount of building of larger things, up to & including hull parts, using cores.

My question is, how much do some of the core mats weigh when wetted out with resin. Ones in the 3-6mm thickness range. And how do parts made with them fair with regards to impact vs. solid laminates, & also foam cored laminates? Plus, what specific cores would you suggest, & why?

For example, I could build something out of solid 4-5mm carbon & kevlar in the 1lb/sqft range. But I'm wondering if there's a way to go to get things either a bit lighter, or more damage resistant, if I use one of the core mats, & switch to thinner skins. Like 1.5-2mm skins on either side of such cores.

And any comments on using say 3mm corecell foam in such an application?

Thanks

 

You can get 1/4 corcell from Noah's marine you would probably need to order 3mm as a custom cut. However coremat like you say is thinner but more absorbing of resin. The weight of foam core would be very little and give huge stiffness by weight compared to a solid piece. Maybe you can find stock pvc foam of that thickness. As for impact, a heavier skin will help you with that, I would be thinking carbon fiber.