Feasibility of a wire-woven metal for application as a sandwich core

• The shear strength and stiffness of WBC (Wire-woven Bulk Cross) are presented.
• WBC with X-orientation resists shear loading down to relative density of 1%.
• WBC with T-orientation has very low shear strength and stiffness.
• WBC with X-orientation is a good potential sandwich core to replace honeycombs.
• Interior space of WBC is accessible for additional functions like passage of fluids.

The strength and stiffness of WBC (Wire-woven Bulk Cross) in two different orientations was investigated under shear load to evaluate its feasibility as a metallic sandwich core material. Analytic solutions were derived, and experiments were performed using specimens fabricated from stainless steel wires. And also, finite element simulations were performed to analyze the experimental results. WBC with X-orientation showed that the lower limit of relative density at which WBC resists shear loading can be as low as 1%, and the shear strength and modulus for a given weight were much higher than other two wire-woven metals. The WBC with X-orientation has statically indeterminate structure without face sheets, but the specific shear strengths and moduli are comparable and somewhat inferior to those of aluminum honeycombs. Moreover, the interior space of WBC can serve various functions such as storage or passage of fluids.

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