Mechanical Performance of All‐ CFRP Sandwich Structures With Integrated Woven Honeycomb Cores Under Out‐Of‐Plane Compression

ABSTRACT This study develops an all‐CFRP sandwich structure featuring integrated woven honeycomb cores to overcome the inner core debonding issues prevalent in conventional adhesive honeycomb designs. Experimentally, the woven honeycomb cores are produced through multilayer weaving technology followed by vacuum‐assisted resin transfer molding, and the adhesive‐bonded cores are manufactured via hot‐press molding with secondary adhesive curing. Quasi‐static compression tests are performed on both honeycomb types, with digital image correlation (DIC) techniques employed to characterize their stress–strain responses, deformation behaviors, and failure patterns. Numerically, a multi‐scale simulation framework is established, integrating meso‐scale representative volume element (RVE) modeling with macroscale structural analysis, with validation provided through experimental stress–strain curves and damage morphology observations. The study reveals that the woven honeycomb cores exhibit superior mechanical performance, demonstrating approximately 11% higher compressive strength and 19% greater energy absorption than adhesive‐bonded designs under experimental conditions. Geometric parameters, particularly core height and relative density, significantly govern the transition between buckling‐dominated and crushing‐dominated failure modes. By eliminating premature interfacial debonding failures, the woven honeycomb cores achieve compressive strength closer to theoretical strength limits, with their strength advantage being more pronounced in buckling‐dominated failure regimes.