As. Fine et Gs. Springer, DESIGN OF COMPOSITE LAMINATES FOR STRENGTH, WEIGHT, AND MANUFACTURABILITY, Journal of composite materials, 31(23), 1997, pp. 2330-2390
A procedure is presented for determining the layups of unidirectional
fiber reinforced composite plates (with or without cutouts) subjected
to multiple in-plane and out-of-plane loadsets, such that the plate sa
tisfies the Tsai-Wu Quadratic Strength Failure criterion, is of low we
ight, and has a layup which is easy to manufacture. Additionally, the
desired cure cycle is generated for thermosetting matrix composite pla
tes such that during cure the maximum allowed temperature is not excee
ded, after cure the plate is fully cured and fully compacted, and the
cure is achieved in the shortest time. The design of the layup for str
ength and weight (utilizing a finite element method for the stress ana
lysis) is based on the Hybrid Algorithm for Laminate Optimization, mod
ified to result in plates in which preassigned regions are of uniform
thickness. The design of the layup for ease of manufacture is based on
rules. The cure cycle is determined by simulating the cure process of
the thermosetting matrix with a deterministic model ''controlled'' in
teractively by an expert system. A computer code SMARTOPT was develope
d which combines all the above features of the design process and, for
specified geometry, material properties, and applied loadsets, provid
es the desired layup and cure cycle. Results for sample problems were
generated which demonstrate the usefulness of the computer code for de
signing composite plates. The results also show that with proper desig
n, plates made of composite materials can be made lighter than plates
made of metals.