Effect of Intertube Adhesion on Mechanical Properties of Tubular Cell Polypropylene Honeycombs

An experimental study was carried out to evaluate the effect of adhesion level between polypropylene tubes on mechanical properties of tubular cell polypropylene honeycomb sandwich panels. The honeycomb core adhesion level was varied by altering the duration of corona surface treatment on the polypropylene tubes. In order to assess the effect of polypropylene surface treatment, contact angle measurements were carried out to measure the surface energy values of substrates. Core delamination, compressive and flexural tests were also conducted on the honeycomb samples. The test results revealed that the mechanical properties of honeycomb samples improved with increasing adhesion strength between PP tubes. In general, the test samples with strong core adhesion exhibited a more ductile behaviour and possessed higher energy absorption capacity.