Mechanical behavior of carbon fiber composite lattice core sandwich panels fabricated by laser cutting

This paper presents a novel method for rapid fabrication and prototyping of low-density carbon fiber sandwich panel cores based on laser beam cutting (LBC). Using LCB, sandwich panels with lattice core constructions with oblique and vertical strut morphologies were fabricated from two fiber-orientation architectures. Scanning electron microscopy images illustrate the relatively small extent of damage from laser cutting. The shear strength of the lattice cores was improved by eliminating core-to-face sheet bond failures. Crushing and shear responses of fabricated truss cores were measured, and analytical models are presented to predict the stiffness, strength and dominant failure modes under each loading condition. The sandwich-panel cores investigated appear to be promising candidates for lightweight systems and multifunctional applications. (c) 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.