Abstract: A hierarchical sandwich box impact beam for a vehicle that includes spaced apart micro-truss sandwich structures defining an open area therebetween. The impact beam includes an outer facing sandwich structure including an outer facesheet, an inner facesheet and a micro-truss core formed therebetween, and an inner facing sandwich structure including an outer facesheet, an inner facesheet and a micro-truss core formed therebetween. One or more structural connecting sections are coupled to the inner and outer facing sandwich structures so as to define the open area between the structures.

Abstract: A hierarchical sandwich box impact beam for a vehicle that includes spaced apart micro-truss sandwich structures defining an open area therebetween. The impact beam includes an outer facing sandwich structure including an outer facesheet, an inner facesheet and a micro-truss core formed therebetween, and an inner facing sandwich structure including an outer facesheet, an inner facesheet and a micro-truss core formed therebetween. One or more structural connecting sections are coupled to the inner and outer facing sandwich structures so as to define the open area between the structures.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a sandwich box impact beam for a vehicle. The method includes fabricating inner and outer facing sandwich structures each including an inner facesheet, an outer facesheet and a micro-truss core therebetween. The micro-truss cores are an ordered three-dimensional network of self-propagating polymer waveguides grown from a photo-monomer resin using a controlled exposure to collimated UV light sources at specified orientations through a plurality of apertures in a mask. The method includes mounting the inner and outer sandwich structures so that an open area is provided therebetween where the inner facesheets face each other across the open area.