Studies on a fiber reinforced plastics honeycomb structure

Abstract Based on an adhesive and fabric screening program, a rubber‐modified resole adhesive and a flexible grade plain weave glass fabric were found appropriate for the fabrication of a glass‐reinforced plastics honeycomb core material. Sandwich structures of different densities were fabricated. A linear regression analysis was performed to correlate the mechanical properties (S) with the density (p) for a wide range of sandwich structures based on honeycomb and cellular plastic core materials. An analytical model of the form S = Kρⁿ was derived, with two empirical constants K and n. The density exponent n was between 1 ≤ n ≤ 2 in all cases. An equation was also derived to relate density with thermal conductivity. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results revealed that the glass transition temperature of the resin matrix associated with the sandwich structure was higher than that of the corresponding facing laminate or near resin casting.