Structural panels and joint connector arrangement therefor

Claim 1

In a structural panel including a core of cured foam resin composition having a configuration corresponding substantially to the desired shape of the structural shape of the panel and including front and rear surfaces and first and second side skin sheets integrally secured to front and rear surfaces of said core, at least one of said side skins being made of a cured fiber reinforced resin including a first layer of resin which has reinforcing material to provide increased strength for the sheet, and a second layer of resin on said first layer having a plurality of fibers with portions thereof embedded in said second layer and other portions of the fibers projecting from a surface thereof into and integrally adhering with said foam core, the improvement comprising: first, second and third side skin portions interconnecting said first and second side skin sheets and secured to first, second and third side surfaces of said foam core, defining an enclosure for said foam core having an open end, and an insert member mounted in said open end of said enclosure and secured to said first and second side skin sheets and to at least said first and second side skin portions, whereby said foam core is encapsulated within said enclosure, wherein said insert member is integrally secured to said foam core along substantially the entire length of the open end thereof, and wherein said insert member defines a receptor and a second one of said panel edges defines a groove and wherein said insert member has a generally U-shaped cross-section.