Out-of-plane effective shear elastic properties of a novel cellular core for sandwich structures

When designing sandwich structures, different types of periodic cellular cores have been considered trying to achieve higher overall bending stiffness and strength to weight ratios as a main objective. Although most of them have proved to offer advantages in certain specific applications, there is a common drawback for all: complexity of the manufacturing process reflected in higher manufacturing costs. This article aims at investigating the out-of-plane shear elastic properties Gxz and Gyz of a novel cellular core named ExpaAsym, produced by a potentially simple manufacturing method: sheet material expansion. Numerical analyses are carried out in order to study the way in which the out-of-plane shear elastic properties modify in terms of several geometric parameters that define the topology of the structure. The numerical results are validated through experimental tests.

► In this study a novel type of cellular core concept is proposed. ► The out-of-plane shear elastic properties Gxz and Gyz are numerically evaluated. ► Experimental tests are conducted to validate the numerical results. ► The influence of the geometric parameters on the shear properties is studied. ► For specific geometries, increased shear stiffness may be obtained.