Patent ID: 6984452

Claim:
A structural laminate member comprising: a first metal layer having a first inner surface and a first outer surface; a second metal layer having a second inner surface and a second outer surface, the second metal layer being spaced apart from the first metal layer; and an intermediate layer including a plastic material having a modulus of elasticity of at least 200 MPa, the plastic material located between and adhered to said first and second inner surfaces, wherein: local buckling of the individual layers of the structural laminate member is prevented, the structural laminate member has a flexural strength greater than the flexural strength of a single metal layer with a thickness equal to the combined thicknesses of the first and second metal layers, under load, energy is absorbed by the structural laminate member by one or more of strain dissipation, puncture resistance, and inelastic membrane action of the laminate member, and a crack formed in one of the first and second metal layers is prevented from propagating to the other of said first and second metal layers.