Experimental evaluation of a balsa sandwich core with improved shear properties

End grain balsa is widely used as a core material in sandwich structures, especially in marine applications where the shear properties are of major importance. In a recent study, a new balsa core structure that better utilizes the anisotropy of balsa was designed and numerically analyzed. An improved shear stiffness was predicted with this new core. In the present study, manufacturing methods for this core were developed and more extensive experiments were performed to verify the improvement in shear stiffness as well as to evaluate the shear strength.