Investigation and prediction of laminate quality and interlaminar mechanical performance of the tufted sandwich composites with different core structures

•Composites reinforced by tufted sandwich preform with the different core structures have been developed and the interlaminar shear tests were conducted.•Analytical models were proposed to predict the core-shear modulus and bending rigidity of the composite samples with different sandwich structures.•Replacing the foam with nonwoven fabric as the core layer can give an increase of 76% ultimate shear stress and 27% bending stress.•Tufting thread significantly enhances the core-shear resistance of 3D sandwich-fabric composites.