STUDIES ON A FIBER-REINFORCED PLASTICS HONEYCOMB STRUCTURE

Based on an adhesive and fabric screening program, a rubber-modified r esole adhesive and a flexible grade plain weave glass fabric were foun d appropriate for the fabrication of a glass-reinforced plastics honey comb core material. Sandwich structures of different densities were fa bricated. A linear regression analysis was performed to correlate the mechanical properties (S) with the density (rho) for a wide range of s andwich structures based on honeycomb and cellular plastic core materi als. An analytical model of the form S = Krho(n) was derived, with two empirical constants K and n. The density exponent n was between 1 les s-than-or-equal-to n less-than-or-equal-to 2 in all cases. An equation was also derived to relate density with thermal conductivity. The dyn amic mechanical analysis (DMA) results revealed that the glass transit ion temperature of the resin matrix associated with the sandwich struc ture was higher than that of the corresponding facing laminate or near resin casting.