Optimization of Fiber Orientations Near a Hole for Increased Load-Carrying Capacity of Composite Laminates

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2005

Publication Title

Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization

Volume

30

Issue

5

First page number:

335

Last page number:

341

Abstract

In this paper, a procedure for optimizing the fiber orientations near a hole in a single layer of multilayer composite laminates for increased strength is presented. A symmetric six-layer [(C-0)/+45/-45]s laminate with central hole is considered. Within the ±45° layers, the fiber orientations are fixed. The C-0 layer is divided into two fields: a small near field around the hole and a relatively large far field away from the hole. In the far field, the fiber orientations are fixed at 0°, and in the near field, the fiber orientations are assumed to have continuous distribution represented by piecewise bilinear interpolation functions. The Tsai–Wu-criterion-based failure load magnitudes of [(C-0)/+45/-45]s and [C-0]6 designs are maximized by iteratively alternating between a gradient-based search and a genetic algorithm. The results show that the load-carrying capacity of composite laminates with hole can be greatly increased through the optimization of continuous fiber orientation distribution within a small area around the hole in the C-0 layer, and the optimum fiber orientation distribution pattern in the C-0 layer is similar to that of the corresponding principal stress orientation distribution. The [(C-0)/+45/-45]s design is only a few percent weaker than the [C-0]6 design, which is important for carrying off-design loadings.

Keywords

Bilinear interpolation; Composite laminates; Composite materials; Failure load; Fiber orientation (angle); Fibrous composites; Laminated materials; Loads (Mechanics); Materials – Fatigue; Strains and stresses; Stress concentration

Disciplines

Materials Science and Engineering | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanics of Materials

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.

UNLV article access

Search your library

Share

COinS