Adhesiveless Composite Structures With Carbon Fiber Prepregs for Aircraft Primary Structural Applications

Abstract

The present work was focused on the properties of adhesiveless honeycomb sandwich structures with carbon fiber prepreg, while assessing the properties with adhesive films at the skin-to-core interface simultaneously. In this work, laminate and honeycomb sandwich panels were fabricated and tested with consistent lay-up, curing, and testing processes. The test specimens from the panels were tested for physical properties at room, hot, and cold temperatures, as well as different moisture absorption performances. The results confirmed that the self-adhesive prepreg physical properties met the components and void content recommendations used in primary structures of aircraft. The mechanical tests showed comparable results to panels, with prepreg and adhesive film at the skin-to-core interface, commonly used for primary structures.