Aluminum Honeycomb

Aluminum foil is one of the principal materials used in honeycomb structures. For many applications, its width range of compressibility afforded by different alloys and tempers, from "soft" to rigid, is the desired property. In others, aluminum's excellent strength-to-weight ratio; water and solvent resistance, reflectivity, corrosion resistance, or electrical conductivity are utilized for many different applications.

One of the original uses for aluminum honeycomb has been in aircraft as core for sandwich structures, especially for cabin decks, bulkheads, wing and tail trailing edges, control surfaces, doors and access panels. Other present applications include architectural uses such as core material for doors and partitions, with skins of sheet aluminum, fiber, plastic, glass or wood.

Aluminum foil honeycomb is most widely used in sandwich applications. Both skins and the honeycomb core may be made of a variety of different materials. Frequently, all three are made of aluminum (alloys 2024, 3003, 5052, and 5056 are most popular), the skins being sheet and the honeycomb being foil. Generally a thermosetting adhesive is used to bond the skins to the honeycomb in combinations of foil, or of foil and dissimilar materials.