Fixture-Assisted Vibration Low-Pressure Curing: An Approach for Solidification and Molding of Honeycomb Sandwich Structures

The objective of this study was to enhance the molding quality of weak-stiffness composite systems, specifically honeycomb sandwich structures, within the context of existing low-pressure curing processes. In order to enhance vibration transmission efficiency and molding quality, rigid fixtures were incorporated. The research systematically examined the effects of varying vibration accelerations (5 g, 10 g, and 15 g) on component quality. A comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate the role of fixtures in vibration low-pressure curing and to contrast vibration curing with autoclave molding in terms of face sheet quality, porosity, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), and dimensional deformation. The findings of the study demonstrated that the utilization of fixtures under a 10 g vibration acceleration condition led to a reduction in face sheet porosity by 29.4%, an augmentation in ILSS by 14.5%, and a substantial enhancement in face sheet flatness, compared to vibration curing processes without fixtures. The achieved performance was comparable to that of a 0.2 MPa autoclave curing process. The present study concludes that fixture-assisted vibration low-pressure curing represents a novel and effective approach for the energy-efficient and high-quality molding of honeycomb sandwich structures.