Process for the manufacture of honeycomb core structures

Abstract

A process for the manufacture of honeycomb core structure is disclosed, which substantially comprises the step (a) of of feeding a starting continuous web or sheet of material; the step (b) of applying an adhesive to the sheet material along a plurality of spaced parallel bands; the step (c) of drying the sheet; the step (d) of forming a plurality of slits extending longitudinally of the sheet and interconnected by a transversely extending slit-devoid web portion; the step (e) of cutting the slitted sheet to a predetermined dimension across the slit-devoid web portion; the step (f) of piling a plurality of layers of the thus cut sheets upon one another in a stack with the adhesive bands on one of the adjacent sheets positioned out of registry with those on the other by half of a pitch between the consecutive bands on each sheet; the step (g) of compressively curing the stacked sheets; the step (h) of slicing the cured stack into individual elongated strips; and the step (i) of expanding the strips in a direction normal to the plane of the stack. The step (d) is carried into practice by a slit-forming means capable of forming spaced parallel slits longitudinally of the continuous web simultaneously with a transversely extending slit-devoid blank portion at predetermined intervals, thus providing the web with alternate slitted and slit-free regions.