Light-weight wall panel for protective enclosure

Abstract

A light-weight wall panel for a protective enclosure includes a shell of sheet metal which encases a filler structure of a combination of penetration resisting or hard wood and metal members. The filler structure includes first and second wall structures which differ from one another by the orientation of hard wood and sheets of expanded metal which are interleaved between adjacent ones of the boards. In the first wall structure adajcent one of the major surfaces of the wall panel, the hard wood boards and interleaved metal sheets have their major surfaces oriented perpendicular to the major surfaces of the wall panel. The second wall structure adjacent the other of the major surfaces of the wall panel has layers of hard wood boards and sheets of expanded sheet metal which extend with their major surfaces parallel to the major surfaces of the wall panel. The two wall structures are fastened to each other and hence into a single structure. The fasteners are elongate metal members, such as nails, which form in combination with the sheets of expanded metal a metal lattice to enhance the penetration resistance of the wall panel.