The Effect of Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforcement on 3D-Printed Honeycomb and Re-Entrant Sandwich Panels Subjected to In-Plane Compression

This study examines the in-plane compression behavior of sandwich panels produced with additive manufacturing. This study focuses on two types of honeycomb unit cell topologies with larger dimensions: a hexagonal one and a re-entrant one. For each panel geometry, two material configurations were examined: Onyx (a nylon-based composite) and Onyx reinforced with 10% continuous carbon fibers (CCFs) by mass. The objective was to assess the influence of fiber reinforcement on the mechanical performance and deformation response of the panel structures. In-plane compression tests were conducted to determine the stiffness, strength, and failure modes of the specimens. Additionally, the digital image correlation (DIC) technique was used to capture full-field strain distributions and analyze local deformation mechanisms during loading. The results revealed distinct mechanical responses between the two geometries: the re-entrant structure exhibited auxetic behavior and enhanced energy absorption characteristics. Although reinforced honeycomb panels have an average load capacity that is 35% higher, they fail at a displacement that is approximately 55% smaller compared to unreinforced panels. Despite accounting for only 25% of the total number of layers and 10% of the panel’s mass, the reinforcement achieved superior strength. Re-entrant panel testing showed a 25% force increase in favor of the reinforced variant. They fail at a displacement that is 36.5% greater than that of reinforced honeycombs. This demonstrates a more compliant response while also maintaining 4.9% greater strength, indicating the superior behavior of auxetic reinforced sandwich panels. Introducing CCF reinforcement increased the load-bearing capacity and reduced localized strain concentrations without altering the overall deformation pattern. These findings suggest that enhancing materials can increase the strength and flexibility of 3D-printed re-entrant structures, providing valuable insights for lightweight design and optimized material use in structural applications.