Structural response of pyramidal core sandwich columns

An experimental and analytical investigation is carried out to examine the in-plane compressive response of pyramidal truss core sandwich columns. The identified failure mechanisms include Euler buckling, shear buckling and face wrinkling. The operative mechanism is dependent on the properties of the bulk material and geometry of the sandwich columns and analytical formulae are derived for each of these modes. Failure maps are constructed for sandwich columns made from an elastic ideally-plastic material and AISI 304 stainless steel which has a strongly strain hardening response. Pyramidal core sandwich columns made from 304 stainless steel have been designed using these mechanism maps and the measured responses are compared with the analytical predictions. Finally, optimal single layer and multi-layer pyramidal sandwich column designs that minimize the weight for a given load carrying capacity are calculated using the developed analytical models for the failure of the sandwich columns. The results demonstrate that pyramidal core sandwich columns outperform the currently used hat-stiffened column design.