Investigation on the mechanical, thermal and salt spray aging properties of high-compressive aluminum honeycomb

A high compressive strength aluminum honeycomb was prepared by alternately bonding corrugated and flat plates. With a density of 943 kg/m³, it exhibits a much higher density than conventional aluminum honeycombs. Out-of-plane compressive tests were conducted at 23 °C, 80 °C and 130 °C to investigate its compressive behavior at different temperatures. The average compressive strengths are 120.1 ± 3.3 MPa, 109.2 ± 1.8 MPa and 97.7 ± 5.5 MPa at the three temperatures, respectively. Unlike conventional honeycombs that fail via local buckling and collapse, this high compressive strength aluminum honeycomb mainly undergoes structural damage induced by material plastic deformation and adhesive layer cracking. The compressive strength decreases significantly at high temperatures, with reductions of 9.1% at 80 °C and 18.7% at 130 °C. A finite element model was established to simulate the compressive failure process. The numerical results agree well with experimental data, revealing the damage mechanism of the high compressive strength aluminum honeycomb under out-of-plane compression. Furthermore, salt spray tests were performed on the honeycomb core to evaluate its aging resistance and residual compressive properties under simulated service environments.