Experimental Testing of Curved Aluminum Honeycomb/CFRP Sandwich Panels

Abstract

This paper presents the fabrication and 3-point flexion testing of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite face/aluminum honeycomb core sandwich panels. Specimen sandwich panels were fabricated with three honeycomb types (3.18 mm, 4.76 mm, and 6.35 mm cell size) and three panel radii (flat, r = 1.6 m, r = 1.3 m). The curved sandwiches were fabricated normally with the core in the W-direction. The tensile mechanical properties of the CFRP 2 × 2 twill fabric face laminate were evaluated (modulus, strength, Poisson's ratio). The measured values are comparable to other CFRP fabric laminates. The flat sandwich 3-point flexion test core shear strength results were 11-30% lower than the manufacturer published data; the test set-up used may be the cause. With a limited sample size, the 1.3 meter panel curvature appeared to cause a 0.8-3.8% reduction in ultimate core shear strength compared to a flat panel.