Fuente: Journal of applied polymer Lugar: RESEARCH ARTICLE This study investigates the fabrication and mechanical behavior of composite honeycomb structures reinforced with carbon and glass fibers in chopped and woven configurations. Results show that the woven carbon fiber specimen exhibits the highest tensile strength with a failure force of about 1679 N, while the woven glass fiber specimen demonstrates superior energy absorption. SEM observations indicate improved interfacial bonding in chopped fibers.

ABSTRACT
In this study, composite honeycomb structures were fabricated using unsaturated polyester resin reinforced with carbon and glass fibers. Honeycomb structures are widely used in lightweight engineering applications due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and excellent energy absorption capability. The main objective of this research was to investigate the effect of reinforcement fiber type and architecture on the mechanical behavior of composite honeycomb structures under different loading conditions. Specimens with identical geometries and different reinforcement configurations were manufactured using a controlled molding process. Compressive, flexural, and impact tests were carried out to evaluate the structural performance of the samples. The results indicated that carbon woven reinforced honeycomb structures exhibited the highest mechanical performance, achieving maximum compressive and flexural failure forces of approximately 6090 and 1517 N, respectively. Glass woven reinforced samples showed greater deformation capability and more progressive energy absorption, particularly under impact loading. In contrast, chopped-strand reinforced structures demonstrated reduced load-carrying capacity due to fiber discontinuity. Overall, woven reinforcement architectures provided superior strength, structural stability, and impact resistance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to investigate fracture surfaces and failure mechanisms.