Minimum mass laminate design for uncertain in-plane loading. (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nielsen, Mark W.D.; Butler, Richard; Rhead, Andrew T.
• Is Part Of: Composites. Volume 115(2018)
• Page Start: 348
• Page End: 359
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: A: Laminates -- B: Strength -- C: Laminate mechanics -- Robust design; Composite materials -- Periodicals; Manufacturing processes -- Periodicals; Composite materials; Manufacturing processes; Periodicals; 620.11805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2018.09.028
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-835X

Abstract

Abstract: Requirements for lower emissions and operating costs make mass reduction of composite structures a significant issue for future aircraft. Here, minimisation of normalised elastic energy under an uncertain, general in-plane loading is used to indicate laminate efficiency and by equivalence minimum mass. Results are the first to investigate the comparative robustness of standard and non-standard angles to uncertain loading. They indicate that weight reductions of up to 8% can be achieved if optimum design, using standard angle ( θ = 0°, ±45° or 90°) and industrial design rules, is replaced by optimising non-standard angles (0° ≤ θ ≤ 180°) directly for uncertain loading. However, greater reductions of up to 20% are possible through alignment of laminate balancing axes with principal loading axes. As such, a non-standard angle design strategy is only shown to be warranted if the demonstrated non-uniqueness of optimum designs can be exploited to improve other performance drivers.