Abstract
Previous studies have shown that composite fibre orientations can be optimised for specific load cases such as longitudinal or in-plane loading. However, the methodologies utilised in these studies cannot be used for general analysis of such problems. In this research, an extra term is added to the optimisation penalty function in order to consider the transverse shear effect. This modified penalty function leads to a new methodology whereby the thickness of laminated composite plate is minimized by optimising the fibre orientations for different load cases. Therefore, the effect of transverse shear forces is considered in this study. Simulated annealing (SA) is used to search for the optimal design. This optimisation algorithm has been shown to be reliable as it is not based on the starting point, and it can escape from the local optimum points. In this research, the Tsai-Wu failure and maximum stress criteria for composite laminate are chosen. By applying two failure criteria at the same time the results are more reliable. Experimentally generated results show a very good agreement with the numerical results, validating the simulated model used. Finally, to validate the methodology the numerical results are compared to the results of previous research with specific loading.
Highlights
The demand for high strength, high modulus and low density industrial materials has generated an increased number of applications for fibre laminated composite structures in many different fields such as in submarines, sport equipment, medical instruments, civil engineering, enabling technologies, primary and secondary marine and aerospace structures, astronavigation and many more industries [1]
When the maximum twist angle is less than the αmax, the results are comparable with the work has been done by Akbulut and Sonmez [35]
In some applications the twist angle, which is the direct effect of transverse shear, is undesirable
Summary
The demand for high strength, high modulus and low density industrial materials has generated an increased number of applications for fibre laminated composite structures in many different fields such as in submarines, sport equipment, medical instruments, civil engineering, enabling technologies, primary and secondary marine and aerospace structures, astronavigation and many more industries [1]. In the last half century, the use of composite materials has grown rapidly These materials are ideal for structural applications that require high strength and low weight. They provide some flexibility in design through the variation of the fibre orientation or stacking sequence of fibre and matrix materials [3, 4] Another advantage of fibre laminate composites is the capability to design the physical structure and mechanical properties prior to manufacture. Accurate and efficient structural analysis, design sensitivity analysis, and optimisation procedures for size and shape and the orientation of fibres within the material are required. This provides a good opportunity to tailor the material properties to the specific application [5, 6]. The novelty of the research presented in this paper is that the effect of transverse shear forces, and the induced twist angle are considered
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