Experimental Investigation on Thermal
Degradation of Multilayer Honeycomb
Core Laminate Sandwich Composite
in a Cone Calorimeter
Hussain Najmi, Jocelyn Luche, and Thomas Rogaume
Abstract There are a number of composites available but cannot be used in the
aircraft because they do not possess the required fire-resistant properties. The fire
norms set by the aviation regulatory bodies are very stringent, in order to use any
material in aircraft interiors, it should comply with FAR 25.853 norms. This regulation demands that each material in a multilayer material as well as its assembly should
comply with the regulation. Therefore, in the present study, a multilayer composite
material consisting of four layers is tested in an ISO 5660 cone calorimeter at the
incident heat flux of 50 kW/m
2 . At first, all the constitute layers (i.e. paint, laminate,
and honeycomb) are tested separately at the same heat flux (i.e. 50 kW/m
2 ) to identify
the thermal decomposition process of each material individually. Thereafter, step by
step layers are added and three different assemblies are formed and tested under the
same heat flux to identify the thermal interaction between each layer. The obtained
results confirm that the time to attain the maximum surface temperature increases
with an increase in the layers of materials. However, the peak surface temperature
attained by the materials increases while the CO emission for the first 300 s decreases
with the increase in the material layers.
Keywords Multilayer composite · Aircraft interiors · Fiber-reinforced
composites · Phenolic resins · Cone calorimetric tests
1 Introduction
Previously, composite materials were considered only for light structural pieces or
cabin components but now they have extended their reach into true functional components—wing and fuselage skins, engines, and landing gear. They can be used as a
H. Najmi (B) · J. Luche · T. Rogaume
Institut Pprime, UPR 3346 CNRS, Département Fluides, Thermique, Combustion, Université de
Poitiers, ISAE-ENSMA, BP 40109, Futuroscope, Chasseneuil-du-Poitou 86961, France
e-mail: hussain.najmi@ensma.fr
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
N. Gascoin and E. Balasubramanian (eds.), Innovative Design, Analysis
and Development Practices in Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Lecture Notes
in Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6619-6_61
555
Degradation of Multilayer Honeycomb
Core Laminate Sandwich Composite
in a Cone Calorimeter
Hussain Najmi, Jocelyn Luche, and Thomas Rogaume
Abstract There are a number of composites available but cannot be used in the
aircraft because they do not possess the required fire-resistant properties. The fire
norms set by the aviation regulatory bodies are very stringent, in order to use any
material in aircraft interiors, it should comply with FAR 25.853 norms. This regulation demands that each material in a multilayer material as well as its assembly should
comply with the regulation. Therefore, in the present study, a multilayer composite
material consisting of four layers is tested in an ISO 5660 cone calorimeter at the
incident heat flux of 50 kW/m
2 . At first, all the constitute layers (i.e. paint, laminate,
and honeycomb) are tested separately at the same heat flux (i.e. 50 kW/m
2 ) to identify
the thermal decomposition process of each material individually. Thereafter, step by
step layers are added and three different assemblies are formed and tested under the
same heat flux to identify the thermal interaction between each layer. The obtained
results confirm that the time to attain the maximum surface temperature increases
with an increase in the layers of materials. However, the peak surface temperature
attained by the materials increases while the CO emission for the first 300 s decreases
with the increase in the material layers.
Keywords Multilayer composite · Aircraft interiors · Fiber-reinforced
composites · Phenolic resins · Cone calorimetric tests
1 Introduction
Previously, composite materials were considered only for light structural pieces or
cabin components but now they have extended their reach into true functional components—wing and fuselage skins, engines, and landing gear. They can be used as a
H. Najmi (B) · J. Luche · T. Rogaume
Institut Pprime, UPR 3346 CNRS, Département Fluides, Thermique, Combustion, Université de
Poitiers, ISAE-ENSMA, BP 40109, Futuroscope, Chasseneuil-du-Poitou 86961, France
e-mail: hussain.najmi@ensma.fr
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
N. Gascoin and E. Balasubramanian (eds.), Innovative Design, Analysis
and Development Practices in Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Lecture Notes
in Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6619-6_61
555