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Abstract

Carbon fiber reinforced composite honeycomb (CFRCH) materials have attracted more and more attention due to their unique properties in aerospace, automobile manufacturing and other industries. The research on this high-performance composite material is also deepening, covering many aspects such as structural optimization, manufacturing process and mechanical properties. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically review the existing research results and analyze their development trends and challenges in order to promote their further development. The article explores several innovative designs, including negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) structures, biomimetic gradient designs, filler designs, and more, which improve the impact resistance and energy absorption efficiency of materials through special deformation mechanisms or inspiration from natural structures. At the same time, the application of 3D printing technology, vacuum-assisted resin molding, and multi-process composite technology in CFRCH preparation is introduced, emphasizing the importance of these advances for the realization of high-performance composite materials.

Keywords

Carbon fiber reinforced composite honeycomb negative poisson’s ratio structure bionic gradient design 3D printing dynamic impact performance

Introduction

Honeycomb is considered to be an excellent structure due to its high strength and shear stiffness, excellent energy absorption performance, high strength-to-weight ratio, which can effectively reduce the weight of the structure while maintaining good mechanical properties and impact resistance.^1–7 With the continuous development of honeycomb manufacturing technology, researchers have begun to use honeycomb structures for various types of material compositions, such as metals and non-metals, as well as fibers and polymers.^8–12 When carbon fiber composites are combined with honeycomb cores as panels or reinforcements, these materials not only have the advantages of traditional honeycomb structures, but can also further improve their overall properties, such as bending resistance, fatigue resistance and environmental adaptability, through the high strength and versatility of carbon fibers.^13,14 The potential application prospect of this composite honeycomb material in high-end equipment manufacturing has attracted extensive attention from academia and industry.

The traditional composite honeycomb material is a composite material composed of two layers of thin and strong panels combined with a lightweight honeycomb core, which is widely used due to its unique properties.^15–17 However, with the continuous development of modern social science and technology, as well as the continuous expansion of application fields, people’s demand for composite honeycomb materials is also changing.^18–24 In modern industry, carbon fiber reinforced composite honeycomb (CFRCH) material combines the high strength, high modulus and lightweight characteristics of carbon fiber with the lightweight characteristics of honeycomb structure, and becomes an ideal high-performance composite material. In recent years, with the progress of manufacturing technology and the continuous improvement of material properties, significant progress has been made in the research of new CFRCH materials. These advances cover many aspects such as structural optimization, manufacturing process, mechanical properties, etc., showing a wide range of application prospects.^25,26

In recent years, some progress has been made in the research of CFRCH materials, such as new preparation processes, optimization of mechanical properties and multi-functional design. In addition, how to achieve the optimal balance between performance and cost of materials through rational design remains a key challenge for future research. Therefore, it is of great significance to summarize the existing research progress and analyze its development trends and challenges to promote the further development of new CFRCH materials.

As shown in Figure 1, this paper systematically reviews the research progress of the new CFRCH based on structural innovation, preparation process and mechanical properties, and puts forward the prospect of future development direction, to provide reference and inspiration for research in related fields.

Figure 1.

CFRCH study correlation diagram.

Innovative design of CFRCH structures

In recent years, the research and application of new CFRCH structure has become more and more extensive, which has greater specific strength, stiffness and high energy absorption than traditional composite honeycomb materials. With the continuous development of technology, the structural innovation design of new CFRCH materials is also developing day by day.

NPR Structure

A negative Poisson’s ratio structure is a material or structure with special mechanical properties, in which when it is stretched or compressed, the transverse deformation is opposite to that of conventional materials, that is, it expands laterally when stretched and contracts laterally when compressed.^27–29 This characteristic makes the negative Poisson’s ratio structure usually have physical properties such as light weight, high damping, sound absorption, and heat insulation, which is of great significance to the development of aerospace, semiconductor devices, optical components, precision instruments, and building materials.^30–33 CFRCH material with negative Poisson’s ratio structure is a high-performance engineering material, which combines the high strength of carbon fiber reinforced composites with the lightweight characteristics of honeycomb structure, and has the characteristics of negative Poisson’s ratio.^34–37 Origami structures can also achieve a negative Poisson’s ratio effect through a special geometric design. Origami composites have been widely used in spatial structures with limited payload volumes due to their ability to effectively translate compact structures into larger surface area or volumetric configurations.^38,39

As shown in Figure 2, there are different kinds of structures with negative Poisson’s ratio. Liu et al.⁴⁰ found that the carbon fiber-reinforced negative Poisson’s ratio honeycomb structure exhibited excellent energy absorption efficiency and impact resistance in quasi-static tests. Compared with the unreinforced structure, the failure stress of the carbon fiber reinforced structure is increased by 112.5%, and the energy absorption efficiency is increased by 113.9%. Under shock load, the maximum displacement of the center point of the composite sandwich panel (CSP) with reinforced negative Poisson’s ratio core material is significantly smaller than that of the unreinforced structure, especially at high impact velocities, and its impact resistance is about 1.4 times that of the unreinforced structure. Gao et al.⁴¹ investigated an origami-inspired three-dimensional isotropic high-stiffness CFRCH material, which significantly improved the energy absorption and impact resistance of the composites. Günaydın et al.⁴² used a multi-material configuration (carbon fiber reinforced nylon and glass fiber reinforced nylon) to design a honeycomb structure with a negative Poisson’s ratio, which significantly improved the energy absorption, compressive strength and modulus of the honeycomb structure, and verified the effectiveness of the design through quasi-static compression experiments and finite element simulation analysis. Dong et al.⁴³ proposed an innovative design of a new type of carbon fiber-reinforced composite honeycomb material with negative Poisson’s ratio, which uses 3D printing technology to fabricate intelligent composites with electrically induced shape memory effect and excellent mechanical properties by combining continuous carbon fibers with polylactic acid/thermoplastic polyurethane/carbon nanotube (PLA/TPU/CNT) conductive filaments.

Figure 2.

Schematic diagram of the structure: (a) Re-entrant hexagonal honeycomb NPR structure,⁴⁰ (b) 3D auxetic honeycomb based on curved-crease origami,⁴¹ (c) Re-entrant and hexagonal structures represented in CAD geometries,⁴² (d) The printed auxetic CFRCs.⁴³

In practical applications, negative Poisson’s is more of a matter of optimizing the energy absorption of materials than structures, while the goal of biomimetic design is impact resistance, self-healing, etc.

Bionic design

Biomimetic design is a design approach inspired by the structure and function of living organisms in nature, combining the principles of biology, engineering and design, with the aim of drawing wisdom from the natural world and applying it to innovative design.^44–48

It emphasizes taking inspiration from the structure, form, materials, and movement of living organisms, combining function and form to achieve lighter, stronger, and more efficient designs.^49,50 As shown in Figure 3, Chen et al.⁵¹ constructed a bionic fractal structure from three basic shape elements (curve, circle, and hexagon) and investigated the nonlinear mechanical response of a layered self-similar structure inspired by serpentine, bamboo, and honeycomb. The self-similar composite sandwich structure performs well in energy absorption, especially in static compression and impact tests, showing excellent deformation recovery and energy absorption. Li et al.⁵² proposed an innovative design of biomimetic structure of carbon fiber-reinforced SiC composites inspired by bamboo, and achieved gradient fiber distribution through bi-material heat-assisted extrusion 3D printing technology, which significantly improved the mechanical properties and electromagnetic wave absorption capacity of the materials. Cai et al.⁵³ proposed a biomimetic design of a carbon fiber-reinforced composite honeycomb material that mimics the structure of beetle forewings, and significantly improved the energy absorption and impact resistance of the material under low-velocity impact by combining carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) with an aluminum honeycomb core. Tewari et al.⁵⁴ proposed a biomimetic design of carbon fiber-reinforced composite honeycomb material that mimics the structure of a spider web, which significantly improves the bending stiffness and impact resistance of the material by optimizing the geometric parameters and fiber orientation, and is suitable for aircraft flaps and other components in the aerospace field.

Figure 3.

Biomimetic Inspiration Source: (a) honeycomb, bamboo, and Snake-like cellular,⁵¹ (b) Macro morphological characteristics of bamboos and SEM image of natural bamboo with a radial gradient fiber bundle,⁵² (c) Adult beetle, Outline sketch of the forewing, surface and cross-section,⁵³ (d) Image of a typical natural spiderweb.⁵⁴

Gradient design

The gradient design of the new CFRCH material refers to the introduction of gradual or layered changes in the structure and properties of the material to achieve specific functional and mechanical property optimization.^55–58 For example, by winding continuous carbon fiber threads around the honeycomb wall to form a linear gradient structure, it not only enhances the mechanical properties of the material, improves the specific stiffness and compressive strength, but also gives it additional functions, such as electromagnetic wave absorption. This design method makes the material have different performance characteristics in different areas, so as to meet the structural strength requirements at the same time, but also to achieve multi-functional integration such as stealth, energy absorption, etc., which is widely used in aerospace, military protection and other fields.⁵⁹

Cheng et al.⁶⁰ achieved a significant improvement in electromagnetic wave absorption and mechanical properties by winding continuous carbon fiber threads on the honeycomb wall to form spoof surface plasmonic polaritons (SSPPs) and filling them with PMI foam. Ye et al.⁶¹ A new method for fabricating continuous fiber-reinforced gradient composites using additive manufacturing techniques. In situ impregnation 3D printing of two different matrix materials and continuous fibers was achieved by a specially designed multi-channel nozzle, and the tensile and three-point bending mechanical properties of composites with different proportions of matrix materials were studied. Zhou et al.⁶² investigated the buckling load of functionally graded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (FG-CFRP) composite laminates in a thermal environment. The effective material properties of the composites were calculated by the Mori-Tanaka homogenization method, and the buckling behavior of the laminates at different temperatures was analyzed. The results show that the functional gradient design can significantly improve the buckling performance of carbon fiber reinforced resin plywood in thermal environment. Yang et al.⁶³ introduced carbon nanowires into the Nextel 610/SiOC composite and constructed a gradient periodic structure, which resulted in a significant improvement in broadband electromagnetic wave absorption performance in high-temperature environments. Li et al.⁶⁴ proposed piecewise linear gradient honeycombs (PLGHs) induced by cell wall thickness and cell wall angle under in-plane compression. The mechanical behavior of piecewise linear gradient honeycomb materials (PLGHs) under planar compression was studied, and it was found that the angle of the cell wall had a significant effect on the strength, and the theoretical model was improved accordingly. PLGHs exhibit lamellar deformation patterns from weak to strong and from top to bottom under quasi-static and dynamic compression, respectively, and have better energy absorption capacity at high compression velocities, and the cell wall angle-induced PLGHs exhibit time-saving characteristics when the initial kinetic energy increases.

The structure of the gradient design is shown in Figure 4, including a periodic gradient design, a compositional gradient design, and a segmented gradient design.

Figure 4.

(a) Gradient CF wire arrays (FR-4 honeycomb wall is set to transparent),⁶⁰ (b) ply stacking sequence of the CFRP layers,⁶² (c) N610(CNW) fiber and carbon fiber periodic structures,⁶³ (d) geometric relations between adjacent layers.⁶⁴

Filled design

The new CFRCH material is a structural form in which a carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRP) honeycomb structure is filled with lightweight materials (e.g., polymethacrylimide, aluminum foam) to improve the relevant properties of the material.^65–68 This filler structure significantly increases the stiffness and load-bearing capacity of the honeycomb structure by filling the honeycomb cavity with foam.^69–76

Song et al.⁷⁷ used polymethacrylimide foam and aluminum foam as filler materials to strengthen the carbon fiber reinforced composite square honeycomb interlayer, and compared the impact and residual flexural properties of the two structures PRCSHS and AFRCSHS through low-speed impact and three-point bending experiments, and showed that the residual flexural properties and impact resistance of the two interlayers were significantly improved. Zhao et al.⁷⁸ improved the mechanical properties and energy absorption capacity of the material in different directions by filling the honeycomb structure with aluminum foam. Xie et al.⁷⁹ explored and verified the mechanical properties of the structure by filling the honeycomb with carbon fiber reinforced vinyl ester resin composite tubes (CFRP tubes) and using quasi-static compression experiments, finite element simulations and theoretical models to improve its energy absorption capacity and mechanical properties. Li et al.⁸⁰ studied the nonlinear vibration behavior of the carbon fiber-reinforced composite honeycomb sandwich cylindrical shell structure using foam filling technology, and found that the foam filling significantly improved the vibration resistance of the structure, which provided advanced structural design and vibration control methods for aerospace and other fields.

As shown in Figure 5, a schematic diagram of the honeycomb structure filled with different fillers.

Figure 5.

(a) Aluminum foam reinforced carbon fiber composite honeycomb material (left); Structure of PMI foam reinforced carbon fiber composite honeycomb material (right),⁷⁷ (b) Aluminum-filled honeycomb,⁷⁸ (c) Distribution of filled tubes,⁷⁹ (d) foam-filled honeycomb core.⁸⁰

Process innovation design of CFRCH structures

The process innovation design of the new CFRCH material is crucial. First of all, the traditional carbon fiber preparation technology has problems such as high cost, low yield and long cycle, which limits its wide application. By simplifying the preparation process through process innovation, you can significantly reduce costs and increase production efficiency. Secondly, the application demand of carbon fiber composite materials in aerospace, wind power blades, sports and leisure and other fields is growing, among which the aerospace field has extremely high requirements for the performance of materials, such as high specific strength, low density, corrosion resistance, etc. Process innovations can further enhance the performance of materials to meet the needs of these high-end applications. In addition, with the improvement of environmental protection requirements, materials that can provide better thermal insulation performance will usher in a larger market space, and carbon fiber reinforced composite materials have broad application prospects in construction and other fields. Finally, carbon fiber production has a significant scale effect, through process innovation and large-scale production, it can reduce unit costs and improve market competitiveness. Therefore, process innovation design can not only improve material performance, but also reduce costs, expand application fields, and promote the development of carbon fiber reinforced composite materials industry.

3D Printing

3D printing technology provides unprecedented flexibility and efficiency for the manufacture of complex structures through the additive manufacturing principle of layer-by-layer stacking.^81–83 In recent years, with the breakthrough of material science and equipment technology, the application of 3D printing in the field of carbon fiber reinforced composite materials has gradually matured, especially in the manufacture of new CFRCH materials.^84–89

Guan et al.⁹⁰ proposed a novel “staggered core path printing method”, which significantly improved the planar compressive performance of the honeycomb sandwich structure of continuous carbon fiber reinforced composites by optimizing the 3D printing path design, as shown in Figure 6(a). It is found that this method can increase the effective bond length between the honeycomb core cells, improve the bond quality between the cells, thereby improving the compressive strength and compressive modulus of the honeycomb structure, and significantly inhibit the damage propagation such as interlayer peeling and cell debonding. Zhang et al.⁹¹ significantly improved the mechanical properties of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (CCF/TPU) composites by optimizing 3D printing process parameters and proposing a new strategy for wet twisting processing. It was found that the wet twisting treatment could improve the impregnation effect of carbon fibers, eliminate fiber nodules, and make the fibers appear spiral, thereby increasing the tensile strength and elastic modulus of printed parts. Li et al.⁹² proposed an innovative acoustic-assisted light-curing 3D printing process for the fabrication of carbon fiber-reinforced composite honeycomb materials, which arranged and cured the carbon fibers through the acoustic wave field, which significantly improved the printing accuracy and mechanical properties of the materials, as shown in Figure 6(b). Chen et al.⁵¹ used 3D printing technology to simulate the fractal structure of bamboo, snakes and other organisms, and developed a bamboo-shaped fractal honeycomb core material. Experiments show that the specific energy absorption value is higher than that of ordinary honeycomb structure, and the compressive load distribution is more uniform, and the damage form is controllable.

Figur 6.

(a) Continuous fiber composite 3D printer,⁹⁰ (b) Experimental setup of the acoustic-assisted 3D printing system.⁹²

Vacuum-assisted resin molding

Vacuum-assisted molding is a new, low-cost, high-efficiency composite component processing technology developed from the resin transfer molding process, which extracts the gas from the fiber through vacuum and negative pressure, so that the resin flows and penetrates in the air, so that the carbon fiber is cured in a vacuum state.

Amar et al.⁹³ studied the effects of manual layup and vacuum bagging on the properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites, and found that the composites prepared by vacuum bagging technology had higher tensile strength and elastic modulus, but lower ductility. Li et al.⁹⁴ successfully realized the transition from flat to curved surface by laminating a planar CFRCH structure to a cylindrical mold at glass transition temperature and curing, significantly improving the adaptability and structural performance of the material. Alia et al.⁹⁵ used hexagonal block metal molds and VARTM processes to fabricate CFRCH materials, which significantly improved the energy absorption and compression properties of the materials by adjusting the number and orientation of fiber layers and introducing a chamfer design. Okur et al.⁹⁶ used vacuum infusion technology to fully infiltrate the resin into the carbon fiber fabric, and then cured it to make a panel, and used a polyurethane-based adhesive to laminate the panel with the aluminum honeycomb core under specific conditions, which improved the manufacturing quality and mechanical properties of the composite honeycomb material.

Figure 7 illustrates a typical VARI mold assembly.

Figure 7.

A schematic of VARI mold components.⁹⁷

Multi-process compounding

Multi-process composite technology achieves a balance of high performance and efficiency by synergistically integrating multiple molding methods (e.g., winding molding, resin transfer molding (RTM), molding, 3D printing, etc.). For example, after winding and molding the directionally reinforced fiber framework, RTM filler resin is combined to optimize the interfacial bonding strength and porosity; 3D printed fiber preforms are hot-pressed or resin infusion molded to support the customization of complex structures such as bionic honeycombs; Laser pretreatment and molding composite improve the interface performance through surface modification, and promote the continuous breakthrough of materials in the direction of lightweight, high strength and multi-functionality.

Zhang et al.⁹⁸ used in aerospace honeycomb sandwich structures by combining liquid molding processes such as RTM with automated fiber placement (AFP), as shown in Figure 8(a). For example, the Boeing 787 fuselage uses prepreg automatic lay-up combined with high-pressure RTM technology to achieve efficient co-curing of the skin and honeycomb core. Wang et al.⁹⁹ transformed the two-dimensional planar material into a three-dimensional honeycomb structure through the combination of pingroove positioning method and vacuum curing process, as shown in Figure 8(b), which avoided the wrinkles of carbon fiber, thereby improving the mechanical properties and energy absorption capacity of the honeycomb material. Cheng et al.¹⁰⁰ studied the in situ impregnation method and prepreg filament printing process, and realized the simultaneous deposition of continuous carbon fiber and thermoplastic resin through co-extrusion head, as shown in Figure 8(c), optimized the mechanical properties of the honeycomb lattice structure, and increased the compressive strength by 40%. Zhang et al.¹⁰¹ proposed a novel multi-material 3D printing method for fabricating continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset composites with custom fiber paths and honeycomb filling patterns, as shown in Figure 8(d), which enables rapid, integrated fabrication of complex structures while maintaining the high performance of the materials by combining different materials and optimizing fiber paths.

Figure 8.

(a) HP-RTM process for CFRP manufacture,⁹⁸ (b) Fabrication setups of semi-re-entrant CFRP honeycombs,⁹⁹ (c) Main FFF processes for CFRSs printing,¹⁰⁰ (d) Prusa XL printer for multi-materials printing.¹⁰¹

Research on the mechanical properties of new CFRCH material

Mechanical properties are the key indicators to measure whether the new CFRCH material is suitable for specific engineering needs. In recent years, with the continuous progress of material design and preparation technology, its mechanical properties have been significantly improved.

Static tension and compression

Static tensile and compressive properties are the basis of the mechanical properties of composite honeycomb materials, reflecting the behavior of the material under constant load.^102–109 CFRCH materials generally exhibit high specific strength and specific modulus, which is mainly due to the high strength and high modulus characteristics of carbon fibers and the lightweight design of honeycomb structures.¹¹⁰

Chen et al.¹¹¹ studied the flexural and compressive properties of the ultra-light CFRCH sandwich beam prepared by tensile process, and the flexural modulus and flexural strength were about 30% and 40% higher than those of the sandwich beam prepared by the traditional process, respectively, and its compressive strength was increased by about 50%. Dong et al.¹¹² investigated the effects of fabrication parameters (including substrate material, nozzle diameter, and printing direction) on the quasi-static and dynamic compression behavior of 3D printed reverse honeycomb structures, and by adjusting the printing parameters, the novel honeycomb structures exhibited better stability during compression. Dou et al.¹¹³ studied the static compressibility properties of 3D printed continuous CFRCH materials, and found that they exhibited significant improvement in mechanical properties under plane compressive loads, and exhibited metal-like elastoplastic deformation characteristics, which were significantly better than pure PLA and aluminum alloy honeycomb structures. Wei et al.¹¹⁴ proposed a new type of carbon fiber composite curved wall honeycomb structure, through theoretical model, experiment and finite element simulation to study its plane stiffness and bending behavior, the curved wall honeycomb structure significantly improves the bending flexibility of the honeycomb, its in-plane stiffness is reduced by about 75% compared with the traditional straight wall honeycomb, and exhibits lower internal stress and less damage during bending. Zhang et al.¹¹⁵ investigated the mechanical properties of 3D-printed continuous carbon fiber-reinforced composite circular honeycomb structures with different stacking orientations, and compared with the unreinforced PLA honeycomb structure, the elastic modulus of the horizontally stacked and vertically stacked carbon fiber-reinforced honeycomb structures under out-of-plane compression was 4.3 and 8.0 times that of PLA honeycombs, respectively.

As shown in Figure 9, the displacement curves under static tension and compression are enumerated.

Figure 9.

(a) Load-displacement curve and failure morphologies of the specimen under in-plane compression load,¹¹¹ (b) Quasi-static compressive force-displacement curves for: PLA 0.4 mm, PLA 0.6 mm, CF-PLA 0.6 mm samples and their energy absorption before failure,¹¹² (c) Performance comparison of pure PLA honeycomb, continuous carbon fiber reinforced honeycomb and aluminum alloy honeycomb under in-plane compression load,¹¹³ (d) Mechanical responses of carbon fiber composite curved-wall honeycomb beam under three-point bending test: load–displacement curves and bending flexibility,¹¹⁴ (e) The in-plane compression testing results and the failure specimen.¹¹⁵

Dynamic shock

The dynamic impact study is of great significance for the application of CFRCH materials in aerospace, automotive safety, protective equipment and other fields.^116–118 These areas often require materials that can withstand high-energy impact loads in an instantaneous manner while maintaining structural integrity and functionality.^119–122

Ghovehoud et al.¹²³ studied the dynamic instability behavior of reinforced sandwich panels with negative Poisson’s ratio honeycomb core and three-phase hybrid composite (PMMA/GPL/carbon fiber) layers, and found that the geometric and mechanical properties of sandwich panels have a significant impact on dynamic instability, and their resistance to dynamic instability can be significantly improved by introducing prestress and bending stiffeners. Compared to conventional sandwich panels, the critical buckling load is increased by about 35%. Li et al.¹²⁴ investigated the impact behavior and damage mechanism of a novel CFRP sandwich structure in CFRP skin, and compared its impact performance with that of the traditional sandwich structure, with an increase of about 29% and 40% in the initial damage load and peak load, respectively. Liu et al.¹²⁵ studied the dynamic response of the reverse entry honeycomb structure of carbon fiber reinforced composites under underwater impact load, and found that the gradient structure and relative density have a significant effect on the impact resistance, the positive gradient structure significantly reduces the deformation rate of the rear plate by dissipating energy, and the average structure with high relative density shows better impact resistance. Yuan et al.¹²⁶ discussed the dynamic response and post-impact bending behavior of carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRP)/aluminum honeycomb sandwich structures under moderate velocity impact, and found that the surface layer of carbon fiber reinforced composites plays a dominant role in the sandwich structure, which significantly improves the impact resistance of the sandwich structure. In particular, with the increase of the thickness of the CFRP surface layer, its penetration resistance is significantly enhanced, and it can effectively resist higher energy impact loads. Wang et al.¹²⁷ investigated the response and failure modes of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer honeycomb sandwich structures under low-velocity impact through experiments and finite element simulations, and the carbon fiber-reinforced honeycomb sandwich structures exhibited higher impact resistance under low-velocity impact. With the increase of honeycomb wall thickness, the peak load of the structure increases significantly, and the final deformation of the rear plate decreases.

The effect of different parameters on dynamic shocks is shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10.

(a) Influence of auxetic honeycomb core thickness, influence of the inclined angle, influence of the aspect ratio (α) and the ratio of the length to the thickness of the sandwich sheet,¹²³ (b) Cross-sectional images of sandwich structures before and after 10 J and 15 J impacts,¹²⁴ (c) Comparison of the impact response of positive-graded structure under high impulse, negative-graded structure under high impulse and low-relative-density average structure under high impulse,¹²⁵ (d) The failure modes and their order of occurrence in pre-impacted and intact CFRP sandwich specimens under three-point bending tests,¹²⁶ (e) Load–displacement curves obtained for CFRP honeycomb sandwich structure under different impact energies: 10 J, 30 J, 50 J and 70 J.¹²⁷

Shear

The good shear properties make carbon fiber reinforced composites have broad application prospects in aerospace, rail transit and other fields.¹²⁸ For example, in rail transit, the high shear strength of composite materials ensures the stability of the structure under dynamic loads.^129–131

Li et al.¹³² prepared a carbon fiber/aluminum composite honeycomb material with excellent interfacial bonding properties and wear resistance by constructing a honeycomb-like structure on the surface of an aluminum matrix and introducing a nickel-tungsten coating reinforced with molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanoparticles, and the shear strength of the nickel-tungsten (molybdenum disulfide)/carbon fiber/aluminum composite honeycomb material was increased by 129.7 % compared with the carbon fiber/aluminum composite honeycomb material. Yu et al.¹³³ found that suturing carbon fiber tape significantly improved the transverse shear stiffness of the sandwich structure, especially under the action of angular fiber band, the shear stiffness was increased by about 21%. Feng et al.¹³⁴ studied the compressive and shear properties of carbon fiber composite square honeycomb structures by optimizing the high-modulus multi-level structural phases. The results show that compared with the traditional monomer composite honeycomb structure, the specific out-of-plane compressive strength of the carbon fiber composite square honeycomb structure is increased by about 330% and the specific shear strength is increased by about 180%. Wang et al.¹³⁵ investigated the effect of surface microprinting on the shear strength of carbon fiber reinforced plastic honeycomb structures. Through theoretical models and experimental verification, the results show that the surface microprinting treatment significantly improves the shear strength of the honeycomb structure of carbon fiber reinforced plastics, and its shear strength is about 230.5% higher than that of the traditional release agent treatment. Guo et al.¹³⁶ proposed a novel carbon/carbon (C/C) honeycomb structure, and through multi-scale damage model analysis, it was found that the damage mode of the optimized C/C honeycomb structure under shear load was more dispersed, and mainly concentrated in the middle region of the honeycomb wall, rather than concentrated on the upper and lower surfaces, so as to improve the shear resistance of the structure.

The effect of different materials and structures on shear strength is shown in Figure 11. The shear strength of different structures compares the improvement efficiency of different material types, as shown in Table 1.

Figure 11.

(a) Load-displacement curves of different specimens and shear strengths,¹³² (b) Load-displacement curves of specimen stitched with different stitched distances and histogram of sandwich specimen’s peak load of different stitched distances,¹³³ (c) The shear stress-strain responses and failure modes of the HCSH specimens,¹³⁴ (d) Shear failure modes of CFRP honeycomb structures with different relative densities,¹³⁵ (e) Effect of height on the L-direction and D-direction shear properties of C/C honeycombs: stress–strain curves and modulus, strength, specific stiffness and specific strength.¹³⁶

Table 1.

Shear strength.

Style	Contrast	Strength gains	References
Nickel-tungsten (molybdenum disulfide)/carbon fiber/aluminum composite honeycomb material	Carbon fiber/aluminum composite honeycomb material	129.7 %	132
Angular fiber with reinforced carbon-aluminium honeycomb interlayer	Unstitched carbon fiber tape	About 21%	133
Carbon fiber composite square honeycomb	Traditional monomer composite honeycomb	About 180%	134
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic honeycomb treated with surface microprinting technology	Conventional release agent treatment	About 230.5%	135

Energy absorption

The energy absorption of CFRCH materials mainly depends on their unique structural design and material properties.^137,138 The pores and elements inside the honeycomb structure are deformed when subjected to external forces, and the energy is absorbed through mechanisms such as elastic deformation, plastic deformation, and buckling.^139–141

Flora et al.¹⁴² proposed a carbon fiber-reinforced honeycomb sandwich structure with prestressed bistability, which significantly improves energy absorption capacity and impact resistance through asymmetric fiber orientation and bistable concepts, and its energy absorption efficiency is about 60% higher than that of traditional honeycomb structures. Gao et al.⁴¹ studied an origami-inspired three-dimensional isotropic high-stiffness CFRCH material, and revealed its isotropic negative Poisson’s ratio effect and high energy absorption characteristics through theoretical and numerical analysis, and its energy absorption efficiency was improved by about 40% compared with the traditional honeycomb structure. Heo et al.¹⁴³ experimentally and numerically investigated the energy absorption and reusability of 3D printed continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) honeycomb beams under three-point bending loads, and the results showed that the increase in carbon fiber volume fraction significantly improved the energy absorption capacity, which was about 60% higher than the unreinforced honeycomb beams, while reducing the weight by about 7%. Huang et al.¹⁴⁴ studied the deformation mode and energy absorption characteristics of CFRCH structures through quasi-static compression experiments and finite element simulations, and found that the honeycomb structures with negative Poisson’s ratio effect showed higher energy absorption capacity during compression, and their specific energy absorption capacity was increased by about 40% compared with traditional honeycomb structures. Liu et al.⁴⁰ studied the carbon fiber-reinforced nylon 12CF honeycomb structure and found that under quasi-static compression, its failure stress and energy absorption efficiency increased by 112.5% and 113.9%, respectively, compared to the unreinforced nylon 12 honeycomb structure. Pehlivan¹⁴⁵ experimentally studied the mechanical properties and energy absorption behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer honeycomb materials with different topologies (circular, square and hexagonal) under planar compression, and the hexagonal honeycomb exhibited the highest strength and energy absorption capacity in the plane compression direction, with its initial compressive strength and specific energy absorption being 1.5 and 1.2 times that of circular honeycomb, respectively, and 2 and 1.3 times that of square honeycomb.

The energy absorption of different structures compares the improvement efficiency of different material types, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2.

Energy absorption efficiency.

Style	Contrast	Efficiency improvement	References
Bistable carbon fiber reinforced honeycomb sandwich junction	Traditional cellular	About 60%	142
Three-dimensional isotropic high-stiffness CFRCH	Traditional cellular	About 40%	41
Continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane honeycomb beams	Unreinforced honeycomb beams	About 60%	143
Negative Poisson’s ratio CFRCH	Traditional cellular	About 40%	144
Carbon fiber reinforced nylon 12CF honeycomb	Unreinforced nylon 12 honeycomb	113.9%	40
Hexagonal carbon fiber reinforced polymer honeycomb	Round honeycomb	× 1.2	145
Hexagonal carbon fiber reinforced polymer honeycomb	Square honeycomb	× 1.3	145

Deficiencies and prospects

Although CFRCH materials have shown significant advantages in mechanical properties, lightweight and structural optimization, there are still some limitations and challenges that need further research and breakthroughs.

First of all, in terms of manufacturing process, although the current 3D printing, vacuum-assisted molding and multi-process composite manufacturing methods have improved the production efficiency and material performance, they still face the limitations of processing accuracy, interface bonding strength and production cost. For example, although 3D printing technology can realize the customized manufacturing of complex structures, the printing speed is slow, and the interlayer bonding strength of materials still needs to be optimized. In addition, vacuum-assisted molding has consistency control issues in large-scale production.

Secondly, in terms of mechanical property optimization, although the research has been optimized for static tensile, compression, shear and impact energy absorption, the research on fatigue performance, high temperature stability and anti-aging performance in long-term service environment is still limited.^146,147 Especially in extreme environment applications such as aerospace and automotive, the weatherability and long-life performance of the material still need to be further validated.^148,149

In addition, although innovative methods such as biomimetic structure, gradient design and negative Poisson’s ratio structure have improved the performance of honeycomb materials, how to improve the comprehensive mechanical properties of the materials while ensuring lightweight is still the focus of future research. How to use nano-enhanced technologies (such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, etc.) to further improve the stiffness, strength and toughness of materials is also a direction worth exploring.¹⁶

Future research directions can be carried out from the following aspects: (1) the development of intelligent adaptive cellular structures, so that they can adjust their performance according to changes in the external environment to meet the needs of different working conditions; (2) explore more environmentally friendly and low-cost manufacturing technologies, reduce the production cost of carbon fiber composite materials, and improve their market competitiveness; (3) Through multi-scale modeling and simulation optimization design, the performance prediction accuracy of materials under complex working conditions can be improved, and their application in high-end equipment manufacturing can be promoted.

In conclusion, although significant progress has been made in CFRCH materials, there are still many areas worth exploring in terms of manufacturing, performance optimization and application expansion. Future research and technological innovation will further promote the wide application of the material in aerospace, automotive manufacturing and construction engineering.

Conclusions

The research of new CFRCH materials is still in the development stage, and through investigation, it is found that it has made significant progress in structural design, manufacturing process, mechanical properties and other aspects.

In terms of structural innovation, the researchers optimized the mechanical properties of honeycomb materials through negative Poisson’s ratio structure, gradient design, biomimetic design and filled structure. For example, negative Poisson’s honeycomb structure exhibits superior energy absorption and impact resistance, while the biomimetic structure borrows from nature’s optimized form to achieve a lighter, stronger design. In addition, gradient and fill-reinforced structures effectively improve the strength, toughness and adaptability of the material.

In terms of manufacturing processes, 3D printing technology, vacuum-assisted molding, and multi-process compounding (such as the combination of winding molding and resin transfer molding) have significantly improved production efficiency, material performance, and structural complexity. In particular, the application of 3D printing technology has made it possible to customize the manufacturing of honeycomb structures, further promoting the development of carbon fiber reinforced composites.

In terms of mechanical properties, the research focuses on the optimization of static tensile and compression, dynamic impact, shear properties and energy absorption capacity. The results show that CFRCH materials can be significantly better than traditional honeycomb materials in terms of specific strength, impact resistance, shear resistance and energy absorption efficiency through reasonable material design and processing technology.

In general, the research of new CFRCH materials has entered the stage of multi-functional integration, high-performance optimization and intelligent design. Future research directions may include intelligent adaptive cellular structures, nano-reinforced composites, and environmentally friendly and low-cost manufacturing, so as to further expand their applications in high-end equipment and emerging industries.

Footnotes

Author contributions

Y.S. Funding acquisition, Writing - review & editing, Conceptualization; C.L. Writing original draft, Investigation; M.C. Data curation, Investigation; Y.Z. Funding acquisition, Supervision, Resources.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study is supported by Graduate Quality Engineering Program of Anhui Polytechnic University; 2023yzl015. The Key Science Research Project of Anhui Province Colleges and Universities; 2024AH050102. Training program of innovation and entrepreneurship for college students of National level and Anhui Province; 202410363012. The Initial Scientific Research Fund in Anhui Polytechnic University; S022024027. Quality engineering projects in colleges and universities of Anhui Province; 2023kcszsf105. The Open Research Project of Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Car Wire-controlled Chassis System; QCKJJ202503. The Key Research and Development Plan of Anhui Province; 2022a05020006. Research and application of key technologies for Automotive Parts Manufacturing Execution System; HX-2025-05-034. New era education quality project of Anhui Province; 2024shsjsfkc020. The Youth Project of Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province; 2408085QA015. Undergraduate Teaching Quality Improvement Program Project of Anhui Polytechnic University; 2023xmskk12.

ORCID iD

Chuanzhen Li

Data Availability Statement

Data will be made available on request.*

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Research progress on advanced carbon fiber reinforced composite honeycomb structures

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Innovative design of CFRCH structures

NPR Structure

Bionic design

Gradient design

Filled design

Process innovation design of CFRCH structures

3D Printing

Vacuum-assisted resin molding

Multi-process compounding

Research on the mechanical properties of new CFRCH material

Static tension and compression

Dynamic shock

Shear

Energy absorption

Deficiencies and prospects

Conclusions

Footnotes

Author contributions

Declaration of conflicting interests

Funding

ORCID iD

Data Availability Statement

References