Light-weight honeycomb core sandwich panels containing biofiber-reinforced thermoset polymer composite skins: Fabrication and evaluation

The application of biofiber based paper-reinforced polymer (PRP) composites as skin materials for light-weight sandwich panel constructions was explored. Various sandwich panels with PRP composite skins and a commercial resin-impregnated aramid paper honeycomb core of different cell sizes and core heights were fabricated in the laboratory. The effects of honeycomb core height and cell size on the flexural properties of the lab-made sandwich panels were evaluated. The flexural moduli and strengths of the lab-made panels were compared to the reported values for three existing commercial products used for automotive load floor applications. The lab-made PRP composite/honeycomb core sandwich panels had comparable bending rigidity and flexural load bearing capability but lower areal weights when compared to the commercial products suggesting that PRP composites have the potential to be used as an alternative to glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites as skin materials in sandwich panel fabrication.