Multicriterion stacking sequence optimization scheme for composite laminates subjected to multiple loading conditions

A multicriterion stacking sequence optimization technique for composite laminates subjected to multiple loading conditions is introduced. Laminate failure margins with respect to the various loading conditions are treated as criteria. Based on the constructed pay-off table, a reduced bicriterion problem is formulated and solved through an iterative procedure. The procedure is defined through a point-to-set mapping, where at each cycle a new set of design points, i.e., laminate stacking sequence configurations and their mapping into the criterion space are generated from one design point. The decision-maker can interact in computation by setting the parameters used to reduce the number of the criteria on the basis of his preferences and the past computations. By varying the parameters, different subsets of Pareto optimal laminate lay-up configurations can be generated. The optimization method is illustrated with a flow chart and a numerical design application. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.