The aim of this study was to measure the energy absorbed by composite panels with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) skins and a 5052 aluminum alloy honeycomb core and to compare it to previous research and isotropic material—two 25 × 1.75 mm 1.0562 alloy steel tubes. The panel skins layup consisted of pre-impregnated Pyrofil TR30S 210 gsm 3K 2 × 2 twill oriented in directions 0/90 and −45/45 and having a consolidated thickness of 1 mm or 2 mm. The core consisted of a 15 mm or 20 mm honeycomb oriented along its lengthwise direction. The first test consisted of a three-point bending of specimens supported at a span of 400 mm with a 50 mm radius tubular load applicator in the middle. Second, a perimeter shear test was conducted using a 25 mm diameter punch and a 38 mm diameter hole. The results of the three-point bending test show that the energy absorbed by panels with 1 mm skins was similar to the energy absorbed by the tubes (96 J), which was better than the previously considered panels. In the case of perimeter shear, the average maximum forces for the top and bottom skin were 5.7 kN and 6.6 kN, respectively. For the panel with thicker skins (2 mm), the results were about 2 times higher.

The aim of this paper is to compare two methods of epoxy adhesive bond gap control: one with a geometrical (mechanical) solution and the other with glass beads, which have the diameter of the desired bond gap and are mixed with an epoxy adhesive. The adhered materials were carbon fiber composite tubes and aluminum alloy inserts, which were used as wishbones in a suspension system of a motorsport vehicle. It was assumed that the gap thickness would be equal to 0.2 mm and the length of a bond would be 30 mm. The internal diameter of the tubes was 14 mm and 18 mm, whereas the inserts’ external diameter was 13.6 mm and 17.6 mm. Their surface has been subjected to mechanical treatment with sand paper starting from 240 grit up to 400. The adhesives used were EA 3425 and EA 9466 cured at 80 °C for 2 h. The results showed that the glass beads method provides more consistent and better results as compared to the geometrical (mechanical) method. Further study in the area of fatigue and interfacial failure modes could be useful.

This case study describes a manufacturing process of composite chassis also known as monocoque. The structure is made using carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) which are manufactured in out-of-autoclave (OOA) process from pre-impregnated carbon fabrics and aluminium alloy honeycomb core....

The aim of this paper is to determine the differences in designed and manufactured model of a suspension. A set of key parameters will be compared including camber and toe in angles and their change w.r.t wheel travel as well as motion ratio. It will also focus at possibility of accurately...

This paper examines the influence of two different supports, i.e., composite and steel, on the results obtained during a quasi-static crush test of an aluminum alloy honeycomb impact attenuator. It’s part of a vehicle that competes in the Formula Student series and requires safety tests to be...

Multi-material additive manufacturing using thermoplastic extrusion enables the integration of soft and rigid components in a single print operation, yet the interfacial bond strength between new foaming thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and engineering-grade filaments remains poorly characterized. This study investigates the bond strength between a foaming TPU filament (Varioshore, colorFabb) and PETG in a lap-joint configuration based on the ASTM 3165 standard, with respect to printing temperature (190 °C, 205 °C, 220 °C, 240 °C) and infill orientation (0° and 45°). Samples were fabricated using a multi-nozzle Prusa XL printer and tested on an MTS hydraulic testing machine. The mean forces recorded were approximately 0.10 kN, 0.21 kN, 0.56 kN, and 0.45 kN at 190°C, 205°C, 220°C, and 240°C, respectively (averaged across both infill orientations), corresponding to bond stresses of 0.6 MPa, 1.3 MPa, 3.5 MPa, and 2.8 MPa. Interestingly, the 220 °C is the optimal printing temperature, yielding the highest bond strength and stiffness, while 240 °C increases elongation-at-break at the cost of bond strength. The 0° infill orientation produced bond up to 50% stronger than the 45° orientation at lower temperatures, with the difference diminishing at higher temperatures. Even under optimal conditions (220°C), the foaming filament bond was approximately 33% weaker than the non-foaming 30D TPU–PETG reference bond, likely due to interface porosity introduced by the foaming agent. The findings are demonstrated through a practical application in the form of a multi-material prosthetic finger design.