Rockwell Collins-Teklam manufactures aero-space grade honeycomb sandwich panels for aerospace interiors, spacecraft, marine, rail, and automotive applications. They were a major sponsor of Zephyr, and we are very grateful for their generosity. We used their phenolic-resin and honeycomb core panels in the majority of Zephyr’s interior stiffening bulkheads and ribs. These high-quality and machineable panels were also used to attach Zephyr’s carbon fiber shell to her aluminum chassis. Thank you Rockwell Collins for your invaluable support!
As discussed in our previous blog post, honeycomb sandwich panels offer great weight savings over solid panels of comparable flexural strength and stiffness. However, the strength of a sandwich panel, like that of most composites parts, depends on a solid bond between the different component layers. Rockwell Collins’ sandwich panels are bonded under high pressure to achieve superior and consistent lamination. In turn, this translates to stronger and more consistent bulkheads on Zephyr. Furthermore, Rockwell Collins is able to manufacture panels in very large sheets, allowing us to cut long ribs in a single continuous piece. These factors combine to make Rockwell Collins, Inc. a great choice for our honeycomb panels, and Zephyr benefited greatly from their sponsorship.
Rockwell Collins’ logo is featured on our website, and will be displayed on Zephyr as she races in this summer’s Formula Sun Grand Prix. We encourage you to visit their website at beaerospace.com/products/structures-and-integration/honeycomb-panels for more information on their wide range of products and capabilities.
Update:
Blog post updated on June 5th to reflect B/E Aerospace-Teklam’s acquisition by Rockwell Collins.