Evaluation of the transverse shear stiffness of a steel bi-directional corrugated-strip-core sandwich beam

This paper presents a new concept in steel bi-directional corrugated-core sandwich structures. The focus is on the derivation of the transverse shear stiffness DQyDQy of a sandwich beam using analytical methods. A braced frame analogy and its periodical unit cell, based on a force–distortion relationship concept, are used as the basis for deriving transverse shear stiffness relationships using the modified stiffness matrix approach. The transverse shear stiffness equation is consistent with a three-dimensional finite element solution. It is then used to assess the effect of geometrical parameters defining the corrugated sandwich beam. The performance of a steel bi-directional corrugated-strip-core sandwich beam compared with other corrugated-like core sandwich beams is then examined and discussed.