OPTIMAL-DESIGN OF SYMMETRICALLY LAMINATED PLATES FOR MINIMUM DEFLECTION AND WEIGHT

The minimum deflection and weight designs of laminated composite plate s are given. The finite element method using Mindlin plate theory is u sed in conjunction with optimisation routines in order to obtain the o ptimal designs. Various boundary conditions are considered and results are given for varying aspect ratios and for different loading types. Comparative results are presented for minimum weight priority design a s an alternative to minimum deflection/minimum weight priority design to investigate the effect of priority on the deflection and weight. (C ) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.