Least-weight design of tow-steered composites

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Least-weight design of tow-steered composites

Dario Zamani

Abstract. Automatic Fiber Placement (AFP) enables spatial variation of fiber orientation, enhancing mechanical performance compared to traditional composites. Variable Angle Tow (VAT) or Variable Stiffness Composites (VSC) optimize structural efficiency, which is crucial for lightweight aerospace structures. However, it is important to consider that limitations resulting from the manufacturing process can significantly impact the design domain available. This study proposes a mixed-integer optimization approach integrating the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) to minimize laminate weight while meeting frequency performance. This research aims to determine the optimal number of layers and lamination angles, considering manufacturing constraints and evaluating the impact of the selection of structural theory on the solutions.

Keywords
Variable Stiffness Composites, Unified Formulation, Discrete Optimization, Least-Weight

Published online 6/1/2024, 5 pages
Copyright © 2024 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: Dario Zamani, Least-weight design of tow-steered composites, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 42, pp 51-55, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903193-12

The article was published as article 12 of the book Aerospace Science and Engineering

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

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