STACKING-SEQUENCE OPTIMIZATION OF LAMINATED PLATES

Optimum fiber orientations of laminated composite plates for the maxim um strength are found under multiple inplane loading conditions. Tsai- Wu failure criterion is taken as objective function. Based on the stat e space method, effective optimal design formulation is developed and solution procedure is described with the emphasis on the method of cal culations of the design sensitivities. Numerical results are presented for the several test problems. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.