Paneling material and composite panel using the same

Abstract

A paneling material of superior rigidity to the conventional paneling material of the similar type is presented. The paneling material includes a base section and uniformly distributed protrusions which protrude out from the base section. The paneling material is reinforced without adding much weight by providing hollow ribs which can be placed strategically depending on particular requirements of the application. The ribs can be provided on the protrusions, on the base section or on both the protrusions and the base section. The paneling material of such a design can be produced readily by superplastic forming processes. The basic paneling material may serve as a core for a composite paneling material by attaching sheet members on each side of the core paneling material. Other uses for the paneling material include decorative applications in which case the protrusions themselves may form part of the decorations.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.