3D woven honeycomb composites: Manufacturing method, structure properties, and applications

Honeycomb is an advanced material that is preferred in many engineering applications due to its high weight/strength ratio. High toughness and cost competitiveness were achieved because of improved production technology and innovative honeycomb core-face sheet combinations. In this study, the basic concept of preparation of 3D woven honeycomb structure, the role of various honeycomb structural parameters, weave architecture, fabrication of honeycomb composites and their mechanical characteristics (compression, flexural, and impact), and applications of 3D woven honeycomb composites are discussed with experimental evidence. The results show that 3D woven honeycomb composite is a good energy absorber in flatwise compression and impact deformation. 3D woven honeycomb composites have a promising future in lightweight load-bearing applications mainly due to their structural integrity and therefore, they can be actual alternatives for aluminum and other metal alloys.