Characterization of Honeycomb Polymer Composites for Use in Adaptable Aerospace Structures

Smart materials are unique in their ability to change properties in response to an environmental stimulus. These materials provide promising opportunities for adaptable aerospace structures, where they can be altered to suit their need. In this research, Honeycomb Polymer Composites (HPCs) were investigated as potential materials for this need. HPCs are new materials that consist of a polymer embedded in a honeycomb structure, and exhibit a significantly higher stiffness than the polymer or honeycomb alone. This stiffness amplification is due to the nearly incompressible polymer resisting the volume change within the honeycomb cells. HPC samples were fabricated using an aramid honeycomb, with either silicone or urethane rubber as the matrix materials to fill the honeycomb. Varying polymer stiffness, honeycomb geometry, and testing temperature were all tested to observe the effects on the material properties. The results indicated that the HPCs could be effectively tailored and modeled to suit the need for different effective moduli. This research provides important insight and results in the development of programmable honeycomb polymer composites (PHPCs), which rely on shape memory polymers (SMP) as the internal working polymer.