Development and Characterization of Green Sandwich Composites Using 3D-Printed PLA (Polylactic Acid) Honeycomb Core and PBS (Polybutylene Succinate) Face Sheets for Automotive Interior Applications

Abstract

The demand for lightweight and environmentally sustainable materials has increased significantly in recent years, particularly for applications where moderate mechanical performance and reduced material usage are required. Biodegradable sandwich composites with honeycomb structures provide an effective approach for developing lightweight components with improved energy absorption and material efficiency for non-structural engineering applications. This study focuses on the fabrication and characterization of a green sandwich composite material based on a 3D-printed PLA (polylactic acid) honeycomb core integrated with PBS (polybutylene succinate) face sheets. The composite was made using a mixture of additive manufacturing and thermal processing methods. The PLA honeycomb core was manufactured by FDM 3D printing. The PBS face sheets were prepared by direct melting method by heating the PBS granules in a mould to obtain uniform sheets. The main objective of this work is to design an environmentally friendly and sustainable sandwich composite for lightweight non-structural applications. The fabricated sandwich structure showed good bonding between PLA core and PBS face sheets thus providing a stable composite structure. The mechanical characterization was carried out as per ASTM standards for flexural, compression and drop-weight impact strengths. The results obtained were 11.05 MPa flexural strength and 13.7 MPa compressive strength for the sandwich composite which showed an efficient load transfer between the face sheets and the honeycomb core. The progressive failure behaviour in the load-displacement curves was attributed to the core shear and crushing. The impact testing results showed energy absorption in the range of 14.72 J to 49.05 J. The developed composite shows environmental properties such as biodegradability, sustainability and less dependency on synthetic materials. The results suggest that the PLA–PBS sandwich composites based on the properties can be used for protective structures and non-structural automotive interior parts. Overall, results suggest that the developed sandwich composite provides a promising direction for the further development of green and sustainable material systems.