Sandwich plate system

Not to be confused with sandwich panel.

Sandwich Plate System (SPS) is a structural composite material composed of steel and polyurethane elastomer.

SPS is used in engineered structures including ships, buildings, stadia, arenas and bridges and was invented by Dr Stephen Kennedy following his primary research in the field of ice strengthened structures at Carleton University in Ottawa and first patented in 1996.

The SPS technology is a direct replacement for stiffened steel and reinforced concrete in heavy engineering projects.

The first recorded project involving SPS was carried out on the P&O Pride of Cherbourg, a Lloyd’s Register approved vessel, in 1999 and over 200 projects have been completed to date.

Projects

Some recent buildings, stadia and bridges incorporating SPS include:

• LG Arena, at the National Exhibition Centre(NEC), Birmingham UK
• M6 Footbridges,Multiple locations UK
• The O2, Dublin (formerly The Point), Dublin Ireland
• Ascot Racecourse, London UK
• Ma Fang Bridge, Guangzhou, China
• London Olympics Aquatic Centre, London UK
• Huskisson Canada Passage Bridge, Liverpool UK
• Schönwasserpark Bridge, Krefeld Germany
• Berlin U-Bhan Bridge, Berlin Germany
• Lennoxville Bridge, Quebec Canada
• Ceder Creek Bridge, Texas USA
• Manchester Airport Pedestrian Walkways, Manchester UK
• Weston-Super-Mare Pier, Weston-Super-Mare UK
• Dawson Bridge, Edmonton Canada

And some recent vessels incorporating SPS include:

• MV Golden Bell, Bulk Carrier
• MV Star Ypsilon, Bulk Carrier
• MV Silver Bell, Bulk Carrier
• MV Docebay, Bulk Carrier
• MV Hansaland, RoRo
• MV Tor Belgia, RoRo
• MV Edco Star, Bulk Carrier

References

• Lloyd' Register's "Provisional Rules For the Application Of Sandwich Panel Construction To Ship Structure 2006"
• Lloyd' Register's "Provisional Rules For the Application Of Sandwich Panel Construction To Ship Structure 2006"]