Comparison between honeycomb and composite corrugated cores in sandwich panels under compression loading

The study is to evaluate the compression properties of the polymeric composite corrugated-core sandwich structure against the honeycomb-core structure. The skin facings are from the prepreg carbon fibre composite laminate, while the core is made of different materials. Four core types are suggested; carbon fibre corrugated-core, fibreglass corrugated-core, Nomex honeycomb-core, and Kevlar honeycomb-core. The study is based on an experimental work of edgewise compression testing, and the comparison between alternatives are based on the specific properties-to-weight ratio. The analysed results prove there is superior compression capacity of the polymeric composite corrugated-core sandwich members to the honeycomb-core members, in particular in the nonlinear stage of compression test. The bonded surface between the honeycomb structure and the skins is often less than that of the corrugated profile for the same sandwich panel sizes. This contact area between the core and skin facings plays an important role in carrying load mechanism.