Dispersed-ply design and optimization to improve the brittle flexural behaviour of composite laminates. (January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mouri Sardar Abadi, P.; Baluch, Abrar H.; Sebaey, T.A.; Peeters, D.; Barzegar, M.; Lopes, C.S.
• Is Part Of: Composites. Volume 164(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Subjects: Flexural behaviour -- Dispersed-ply laminates -- Optimization -- Ant colony algorithm; Composite materials -- Periodicals; Manufacturing processes -- Periodicals; Composite materials; Manufacturing processes; Periodicals; 620.11805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2022.107277
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-835X

Abstract

Abstract: This work aims to improve the flexural behaviour of unidirectional fibre-reinforced laminates by means of coupling an optimization procedure for quasi-isotropic configurations with the design space opened by dispersed-ply orientations. The design approach consists of finding suitable alternatives to traditional laminates (with fibre orientations limited to 0°, ± 4 5 ∘, and 90°), while maintaining their stiffness characteristics. This strategy isolates the interlaminar response as the objective function that is optimized to improve their flexural behaviour. To this end, a modified Ant Colony Optimization was implemented and geared towards optimizing the interlaminar stress profile, allowing plies at every possible 5 ° orientation, with the ultimate goal of delaying delamination. To validate the approach, a traditional reference laminate and derived fully dispersed designs were experimentally tested. The correlated responses show that it was not possible to improve flexural resistance. However, the typical flexural brittleness of laminates can be modified into a pseudo-ductile behaviour.