%0 Journal Article
%T Manufacturing and Performance Evaluation of Carbon Fiber¨CReinforced Honeycombs
%A Alia Aziz
%A Jimmy Thomas
%A Sanjeev Rao
%A Wesley Cantwell
%J -
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs3010013
%X Abstract In this work, the manufacturing characteristics and a performance evaluation of carbon fiber¨Creinforced epoxy honeycombs are reported. The vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process, using a central injection point, is used to infuse a unidirectional dry slit tape with the epoxy resin system Prime 20 LV in a wax mold. The compression behavior of the manufactured honeycomb structure was evaluated by subjecting samples to quasi-static compression loading. Failure criteria for the reinforced honeycombs were developed and failure maps were constructed. These maps can be used to evaluate the reliability of the core for a prescribed loading condition. Improvements in the load-carrying capacity for the reinforced samples, as compared with unreinforced specimens, are discussed and the theoretical predictions are compared with the experimental data. The compression test results highlight a load-carrying capacity up to 26 kN (~143 MPa) for a single hexagonal cell (unit cell) and 160 kN (~170 MPa) for cores consisting of 2.5 ¡Á 3.5 cells. The failure map indicates buckling to be the predominant mode of failure at low relative densities, shifting to cell wall fracture at relative densities closer to a value of 10£¿1. The resulting energy absorption diagram shows a monotonic increase in energy absorption with the increasing t/l ratio of the honeycomb core cell walls. View Full-Tex
%K honeycombs
%K carbon fiber
%K slit tape
%K fiber-reinforced cores
%U https://www.mdpi.com/2504-477X/3/1/13