An Expanded Approach to Stacking Sequence Optimization of Laminated Plates

Design of laminated composite plates often leads to macro-mechanical optimization of composite laminate. Numerous studies have been performed to find the optimum stacking sequences of composite materials under various in-plane biaxial loadings. Classical theories such as Tsai-Wu failure criterion are widely used to evaluate the design. In this study, an optimization algorithm is developed to expand the number of design variables and find the optimum material properties by incorporating micromechanical properties of each ply. Hence, the number and angle of plies as well as the fiber volume fraction of each ply are optimized simultaneously