Microwave absorption and compression performance design of continuous carbon fiber reinforced 3D printing pyramidal array sandwich structure

In this study, continuous carbon fiber reinforced 3D printing technology was used to create a novel pyramidal array sandwich structure (PASS), which contains microwave absorption and enhanced compression performances. By utilizing the electromagnetic and mechanical properties of continuous carbon fiber (CF), a spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) microwave absorbing core was formed by winding continuous carbon fiber into a pyramidal array. Simulated and experimental results demonstrated that the proposed PASS efficiently absorbs a wide band (4-18 GHz) microwaves at large incident angles (0-60 degrees), with an average absorptivity exceeding 90 %. Additionally, compression tests revealed that present continuous carbon fiber reinforced PASS has a compressive strength of 9.60 MPa and a modulus of 123 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, it exhibits 34.3 % and 24.8 % higher energy absorption per unit volume and mass compared to the pure polylactic acid (PLA) PASS. The advantages of microwave absorption, compression, and economical manufacturing performances make it highly promising for the engineering applications.