Fabrication technology and shear failure behaviours of elastic–porous sandwich structure with entangled metallic wire mesh

Abstract

Elastic–porous sandwich structure with entangled metallic wire mesh (EMWM) is of particular interest, and is a complex and novel rigid–flexible heterogeneous material. This study introduced the fabrication technology and explored the shear failure behaviours of elastic–porous sandwich structures. The elastic–porous sandwich structure with different configurations such as the side structures, the core relative density and the thickness ratio of core/face-sheet on the failure behaviours were analysed by experimental shear tests. The experimental results demonstrated that the failure mode of the elastic–porous sandwich structure could be divided into four stages, that is linear, gradual-soft deformation, damage deformation, and stable damage failure. The different side structures were presented in two non-forming directions of the EMWM, which had the similar failure behaviours but different shear resistance deformations in the shear experiment. With the increase in relative density of EMWM, the capability of resisting shear deformation of the elastic–porous sandwich structure improved. However, the effect of increase in the core/face-sheet thickness ratio on the shear resistance deformation of elastic–porous sandwich structures showed opposite change compared with the increase of the core in relative density. The microstructures and morphologies revealed that the metallurgical bond of the brazing interface was formed, and vacuum brazing could greatly improve the interfacial bonding strength between the core and face sheet.