Design, manufacture, and experimental analysis of 3D honeycomb textile composites, part II: Experimental analysis

In the second part of this two-part paper, the experimental analysis of 14 systematically designed 3D honeycomb textile composites, using drop-weight impact tests, is described. Energy absorption and transmitted force were measured to determine the impact performance of the honeycomb composites. The influence of structural parameters, including cell opening angle, cell size, cell wall ratio, and the cell density for the same cross-sectional area, were studied to characterize the 3D honeycomb composites systematically. It was found that changes in structural parameters affect impact energy absorption and impact force attenuation. The effect of volume density of the honeycomb composites on impact characteristics was also investigated. The results indicate that while the volume density has little effect on the energy absorption, it has significant influence on the transmitted force. The analytical results provide useful data for the engineering and application of 3D honeycomb composites. © 2008 SAGE Publications.