会社のニュース What is Aluminum Honeycomb Core?

What is Aluminum Honeycomb Core?

At its simplest, aluminum honeycomb is a core material made from thin aluminum foil sheets bonded together in a continuous hexagonal cell structure, resembling a bee's hive. This core is then sandwiched between two thin, rigid face sheets—often made of aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or plastic—to create what is known as a sandwich panel.

The genius of this design lies in its distribution of material. The vast majority of the panel's volume is empty space (air), yet the geometric arrangement of the aluminum walls creates a structure that is incredibly resistant to various forces.

The Manufacturing Process: Precision and Control

The production of high-quality aluminum honeycomb is a precise and controlled process, typically following these key steps:

1. Foil Corrugation: Thin aluminum foil (typically ranging from 0.02mm to 0.2mm in thickness) is passed through precision rollers to create a corrugated pattern. The height and pitch of this corrugation determine the final cell size of the honeycomb.

2. Adhesive Application: A node-line adhesive is applied to the peaks of the corrugated foil in a specific pattern.

3. Layering and Curing: Multiple layers of foil are stacked together, with the adhesive lines bonding the corrugated sheets to flat foil sheets. This stack is then placed under heat and pressure in a curing oven to create a solid, monolithic "honeycomb block."

4. Expansion (Optional): For certain cell sizes, the cured block can be carefully expanded, stretching the bonded nodes to form the characteristic hexagonal cells. Alternatively, the block can be left unexpanded for a more dense, flexible core.

5. Slicing: The final honeycomb block is precision-sliced to the required thickness using specialized saws, resulting in individual sheets of honeycomb core ready for panel fabrication.

Aluminum honeycomb is more than just a material; it is a foundational technology that enables innovation across countless fields. By understanding its core principles—the efficient use of material, the strength of the hexagon, and the power of the sandwich structure—designers and engineers can push the boundaries of what is possible. In the following articles in this series, we will delve deeper into the specific applications, benefits, and technical considerations that make aluminum honeycomb an indispensable choice for the world's most demanding industries.

High Strength-to-Weight Ratio:This is the most celebrated property. The material is concentrated in the cell walls, which are aligned to bear loads. This creates a structure that is exceptionally strong and stiff for its weight, often outperforming solid aluminum.

Excellent Stiffness: The continuous cellular structure distributes loads evenly across the entire panel, resisting bending and buckling. When bonded to face sheets, the core keeps them apart, dramatically increasing the panel's overall stiffness with minimal weight addition—a principle similar to an I-beam.

Superior Flatness and Stability: Aluminum honeycomb panels exhibit remarkable dimensional stability. They resist warping and remain flat over large spans, even under varying thermal and humidity conditions.

Out-of-Plane Compression Strength: The cells are oriented to provide outstanding resistance to forces applied perpendicular to the panel face, making them ideal for applications requiring high crush strength.