Thermoelastic properties of sandwich materials with pin-reinforced foam cores

Pin-reinforced foam is a novel type of sandwich core materials formed by inserting pins (trusses) into a foam matrix to create a truss-like network reinforced foam core. Upon loading, the pins deform predominantly by local stretching whilst the deformation of foam is governed by local bending. This paper presents a theoretical study on the thermoelasticity of pin-reinforced foam sandwich cores. To calculate the effective thermoelastic properties of pin-reinforced foam cores, the energy-based homogenization approach is employed to develop a micromechanicsbased model, calibrated by the existing experimental data. It is found that the stiffness of the sandwich core is mainly governed by pin reinforcements: the foam matrix contributes little to sandwich stiffness. Compared with traditional foam cores without pin reinforcements, the changes in in-plane thermal expansion coefficients are not vigorous as a result of pin reinforcements, while the throughthickness thermal expansion coefficient changes significantly. It is also demonstrated that it is possible to design materials with zero or negative thermal expansion coefficients under such a context.