Abstract:
Honeycomb Sandwich structures are critical components in aviation industry owing to
its impressive mechanical properties including strength-to-weight ratio, flexural rigidity etc.
With the recent advancement in rapid prototyping, traditional manufacturing techniques for
honeycomb manufacturing have limited the possibilities for innovative design. The advent of
Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), an AM technique, has expanded the design possibilities
and holds the potential to improve the functionality of sandwich panels. In the outlined study,
polymer (PLA) based honeycomb sandwich structures manufactured with FDM were subjected
to variations in their geometrical features; cell size, wall thickness, and core height. These
variations were then evaluated for two major mechanical properties: flatwise compressive
strength and flexural stiffness of the structure. The study employed a Design of Experiment
based on RSMs Central Composite Design. This research optimized FDM process parameters
from existing literature to fabricate sandwich structure specimens. Mechanical properties were
evaluated using ASTM C365 and C393 standards, and statistical models were developed to
relate input variables to responses. The findings showed that cell size and wall thickness
significantly impacted compressive strength, while core height had a greater influence on
flexural rigidity. Stress-strain and load-deflection curves consistent with literature were
obtained. This study demonstrates the importance of optimizing FDM parameters and
geometric variables to minimize weight while maintaining structural integrity, contributing to
the development of lightweight sandwich structures.
