Patent ID: 7897225

Claim:
A deformable sandwich panel comprising: a first face sheet comprising a first and second surface, wherein the first face sheet is substantially flat; a second face sheet comprising a first and second surface, wherein the second face sheet is substantially flat; and a shape memory material sandwiched between the first face sheet and the second face sheet, wherein: the shape memory material has a default first shape; the shape memory material is mechanically deformable to a second shape when above a glass transition temperature; the shape memory material will return to the default first shape when substantially mechanically unloaded above the glass transition temperature; and the stiffness of the first face sheet and the stiffness of the second face sheet is greater than the stiffness of the shape memory material above and below the glass transition temperature, wherein the sandwich panel is deformable through shearing of the shape memory material, and wherein the shape memory material comprises a polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) that is less than a survival temperature.