Sicomin supplies composite materials for gilded domes of cathedral in Paris

Working alongside Multiplast (part of the Carboman Group), main contractor Bouygues and engineering consultants Calcul Méca, Sicomin was able to support in realising architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte’s stunning contemporary design for the Russian Orthodox Cultural and Spiritual Centre in central Paris.

Sicomin supplied materials for the dome tooling to Décision SA, a Swiss based Carboman Group company, who infused a set of glass fibre multiaxial fabric and balsa reinforced moulds using Sicomin’s SR8100 / SD7820 cost effective 120°C Tg epoxy infusion system.

The dome panels were produced at Multiplast’s factory in Vannes, France using Sicomin’s SR8100 / SD4772 epoxy infusion system and a specially developed glass fibre reinforcement lay-up. By combining their heavyweight quadaxial fabric style QX1180 with a woven 500gsm fabric, Sicomin was able to provide a laminate with no print through and excellent top surface flow characteristics to prevent dry spots.

Using a Sicomin composite material solution for the domes had many advantages for this project. The domes light weight allowed for rapid installation as well as reducing the dead loads that must be carried by the building structure. Another benefit of building the domes off site, was that both manufacture and decoration of the domes could be carried out in controlled conditions without the weather impacting the production process. Sicomin carried out extensive DSC testing in their laboratory to optimize the post curing procedure to ensure the stability of the finished parts before craftsmen applied 86,000 leaves of real gold to the 640m2 surface area of the domes.

Sicomin will be exhibiting at the next European CompIC conference and exhibition in Amsterdam from 31st January to 1st February 2017. Visit them at this event to learn more about Sicomin’s complete composite materials packages for global construction and civil engineering projects.

www.sicomin.com