Design of metallic textile core sandwich panels

Metallic sandwich panels with textile cores have been analyzed subject to combined bending and shear and then designed for minimum weight. Basic results for the weight benefits relative to solid plates are presented, with emphasis on restricted optimizations that assure robustness (non-catastrophic failure) and acceptable thinness. Select numerical simulations are used to check the analytical results and to explore the role of strain hardening beyond failure initiation. Comparisons are made with competing concepts, especially honeycomb and truss core systems. It is demonstrated that all three systems have essentially equivalent performance. The influence on the design of a concentrated compressive stress that might crush the core has been explored and found to produce relatively small effect over the stress range of practical interest. Angle ply cores with members in the +/-45degrees orientation are found to be near optimal for all combinations of bending, shear and compression. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.