Manufacturing and mechanical performance evaluation of resin-infused honeycomb composites

Abstract

In spite of numerous advantages of open-cell core sandwich composites, the applications have been limited due to the problems involved in manufacturing using low cost processes. Resin accumulation in the core is a major challenge in the fabrication of honeycomb sandwich panels using resin infusion techniques. Foam-filled cores and polymer film barriers are some of the methods used in the literature to address this issue. However, these techniques will increase the weight of the sandwich composites. In this study, honeycomb sandwich panels were manufactured using commercially available film adhesive and modified vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process. The resin incursion into the core openings was investigated. No accumulation of resin was observed in the core. Flatwise tension, flatwise/edgewise compression, and three-point bending tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical performance of the sandwich composites. The performance of sandwich panels during a low-velocity impact event was also evaluated. Results indicate that the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process can be successfully used to manufacture honeycomb composite sandwich structures using currently available barrier adhesive films.

Investigations on sustainable honeycomb sandwich panels containing eucalyptus sawdust, Piassava and cement particles

“…Experimental setup for the tensile tests. [GPa] [4] Where w is the deflection of bending. Finally, the planar density of the sandwich panels can be determined on the basis of Eq.…”

“…The honeycomb sandwich structures have been extensively investigated and analysed for great diversity of topologies [1][2] and material composition [3][4][5].…”

Prediction of the resin fillet size in honeycomb sandwich composites with self-adhesive prepreg skin

“…This lightweight structure is extremely suitable for the secondary structure and the non-load-bearing structure in aeronautical applications. [1][2][3][4] Generally, co-curing, co-bonding and secondary bonding are used to fabricate honeycomb sandwich structures. The co-curing process is taken as the priority selection, where the structure could be cured in one cure cycle.…”

Mechanical properties of a cellular vehicle body structure with negative Poisson’s ratio and enhanced strength

“…A compressive experiment is carried out to prove the mechanical properties of the NPR structure at last. 13 NPR vehicle body structure NPR vehicle body structure is a composite structure that includes various materials and structures. The typical NPR vehicle body structure is shown in Figure 1, which includes face sheets and core structure.…”