A solution to the stacking sequence of a composite laminate plate with constant thickness using simulated annealing algorithms

Due to its high reliability, composite material is commonly used in industry. Moreover, the stacking sequence is very crucial to the strength of the composite material. However, the arrangement of this sequence is very time-consuming. Actually, since stacking sequences are usually NP complete, simulated annealing (SA) algorithms were borrowed to deal with the stacking sequence problems in this study. The edging stress of a composite plate with constant thickness, which was obtained using an analytical method, was used as the objective function in the SA algorithms. Three examples of constant thickness and symmetrical composite laminate plates were used to examine the performance of the proposed algorithms. The results of computational tests presented are very promising.     

基于改进模拟退火算法的复合材料层合板屈曲优化

针对复合材料层合板的屈曲优化问题,提出一种改进的直接搜索模拟退火算法来求解最大化临界屈曲载荷系数的铺层顺序设计问题。改进算法引入搜索范围动态调整的新点产生方式实现全局搜索和局部搜索的协调,提高了算法的计算稳定性和计算效率。以离散铺层角为设计变量,采用里兹法进行屈曲响应分析以考虑弯扭耦合影响,通过典型多极值屈曲优化问题分析比较了算法改进措施的有效性。不同角度增量、铺层数、长宽比和载荷比的层合板屈曲优化结果表明,改进算法能有效地进行层合板铺层顺序优化。     

STACKING SEQUENCE OPTIMIZA- TION OF LAMINATED COMPOSITE CYLINDER SHELL FOR MAXIMAL BUCKLING LOAD

A new optimization method for the optimization of stacking of composite glass fiber laminates is developed. The fiber orientation and angle of the layers of the cylindrical shells are sought considering the buckling load. The proposed optimization algorithm applies both finite element analysis and the mode-pursuing sampling （MPS）method. The algorithms suggest the optimal stacking sequence for achieving the maximal buckling load. The procedure is implemented by integrating ANSYS and MATLAB. The stacking sequence designing for the symmetric angle-ply three-layered and five-layered composite cylinder shells is presented to illustrate the optimization process, respectively. Compared with the genetic algorithms, the proposed optimization method is much faster and efficient for composite staking sequence plan.     

Bi-level optimization of laminated composite structures using particle swarm optimization algorithm

This paper presents an efficient bi-level optimization technique to obtain the optimal stacking sequence for symmetric composite structures. The proposed approach involves two levels of modeling and optimization. The first level of the optimization procedure is used to minimize the weight of the composite structure. At this level, lamination parameters and the number of plies of specified angles (0, ±45 and 90 degree) are design variables, buckling load factor is treated as a constraint, and the weight of the structure is to be minimized using continuous-discrete particle swarm optimization algorithm. Next, at the second level the location of each ply orientation through the thickness (i.e. the layup of the panel) is found. At the second level, optimum stacking sequence is sought to maximize the load bearing capacity of the structure with respect to the buckling. The proposed methodology is applied to two test cases. Results show that the approach improves the buckling load factor of the structure without any weight penalty.     

The stacking sequence optimization of stiffened laminated curved panels with different loading and stiffener spacing

An efficient procedure to obtain the optimal stacking sequence and the minimum weight of stiffened laminated composite curved panels under several loading conditions and stiffener layouts has been developed based on the finite element method and the genetic algorithm that is powerful for the problem with integer variables. Often, designing composite laminates ends up with a stacking sequence optimization that may be formulated as an integer programming problem. This procedure is applied for a problem to find the stacking sequence having a maximum critical buckling load factor and the minimum weight. The object function in this case is the weight of a stiffened laminated composite shell. Three different types of stiffener layouts with different loading conditions are investigated to see how these parameters influence on the stacking sequence optimization of the panel and the stiffeners. It is noticed from the results that the optimal stacking sequence and lay-up angles vary depending on the types of loading and stiffener spacing.     

Nonlinear vibration analysis of composite laminated and sandwich plates with random material properties

Nonlinear vibration analysis is performed using a C⁰ assumed strain interpolated finite element plate model based on Reddy's third order theory. An earlier model is modified to include the effect of transverse shear variation along the plate thickness and Von-Karman nonlinear strain terms. Monte Carlo Simulation with Latin Hypercube Sampling technique is used to obtain the variance of linear and nonlinear natural frequencies of the plate due to randomness in its material properties. Numerical results are obtained for composite plates with different aspect ratio, stacking sequence and oscillation amplitude ratio. The numerical results are validated with the available literature. It is found that the nonlinear frequencies show increasing non-Gaussian probability density function with increasing amplitude of vibration and show dual peaks at high amplitude ratios. This chaotic nature of the dispersion of nonlinear eigenvalues is also revealed in eigenvalue sensitivity analysis.     

微小型空间相机碳纤维整体式主框架轻量化设计

针对某微小型离轴空间相机结构紧凑、质量轻的设计要求,设计了一个高度轻量化的整体式碳纤维主框架。首先,根据空间相机具体功能的设计指标和光学系统,确定主框架的材料和结构形式,设计出碳纤维整体式主框架的基本构型。接着对铺层厚度参数化优化,并考虑碳纤维复合材料的制造约束,确定了主框架碳纤维铺层的厚度、比例。将参数化优化的结果进行离散化,进行碳纤维铺层顺序的优化,确定了最佳的堆叠次序,完成了碳纤维的铺层优化设计,实现了主框架的轻量化设计,解决了复杂碳纤维零件优化的问题。然后对设计完的碳纤维主框架结构代入整机有限元模型中,进行有限元仿真分析,验证主框架的性能指标。最后,将整机装配完成进行动力学试验,并与有限元分析结果进行对比验证。经过优化,碳纤维主框架的质量为4.5 kg,相机一阶频率为81 Hz,动力学试验得到的相机整机的一阶频率为78 Hz,仿真误差为3.7%,符合仿真结果,进一步说明了设计的合理性以及正确性。本文提出的空间相机碳纤维整体式主框架设计方法对微小型离轴三反式空间相机结构设计以及碳纤维零件的轻量化优化设计具有一定的借鉴意义。     

复合材料起落架舱门结构优化设计

基于有限元软件ANSYS建立复合材料起落架舱门参数化有限元模型,基于三明治夹芯板理论将蜂窝芯层等效为均质的厚度不变的层板,以蜂窝夹芯高度与复合材料面板各铺层厚度为设计变量,以铺层板、蜂窝夹芯的强度,结构稳定性以及结构刚度为约束函数,以结构质量最轻为目标函数,基于ANSYS优化模块首先选择零阶法进行优化得到粗略解,其次选择一阶梯度优化法进一步对夹层结构进行优化设计,得到最优蜂窝芯子厚度、蒙皮各铺层厚度.     

蚁群算法在复合材料层合板优化设计中的应用

对含有2N层的对称层合板铺层优化,采用多层城市的思想,即将每层备选角度设为一层城市,共同组成具有相同特征的N层城市,优化的过程就是在N层城市中每层选择一座城市,组成N维铺层角度向量.文中采用含有变异操作的蚁群算法,按照求解旅行商问题(traveling salesman problem ,TSP)的方法和过程,对已知铺层总数复合材料层合板的某个参数进行优化设计,最终确定各角度的铺层数及铺层顺序.算例结果表明,经过有限次数的循环,即能收敛到满意的结果,优化过程显示蚁群算法的良好鲁棒性,同时该方法为解决复合材料结构优化及其他组合优化问题提供一种新的思路.     

用接触－冲击方法研究复合材料层板线载荷冲击问题

用接触－冲击分析研究了复合材料层板线载荷冲击响应及损伤机理。分析中，考虑层板的材料性质、铺展顺序和长、宽、厚度等参数的影响。数值计算结果与实验结果完全符合。     

用接触－冲击方法研究复合材料层板线载荷冲击问题

用接触－冲击分析研究了复合材料层板线载荷冲击响应及损伤机理。分析中，考虑层板的材料性质、铺展顺序和长、宽、厚度等参数的影响。数值计算结果与实验结果完全符合。     

镍钛合金双层波纹石墨复合垫片的设计与参数优化

针对反应釜的高腐蚀性、恒温以及多振动等工况,设计一种新型镍钛合金双层波纹石墨复合垫片,其骨架材料为镍钛合金,结构为双层式波纹结构,在双层骨架的内外侧填充石墨层。选取波纹数、骨架厚度和波纹幅值等参数进行正交优化设计,采用ANSYS软件模拟该垫片在一定波纹数(4～6个)、骨架厚度(0.3～0.5 mm)和波纹幅值(0.3～0.5 mm)时的变形特征。结果表明:新型垫片的最佳回弹率为93.84%,对应的波纹数、骨架厚度和波纹幅值为5个、0.5 mm和0.3 mm。与不锈钢双层波纹石墨复合垫片和不锈钢单层波纹石墨复合垫片对比表明:镍钛合金双层波纹石墨复合垫片具有最好的回弹性能。     

Experimental investigation on the fiber preform deformation due to mold closure for composites processing

In liquid composite molding processes, e.g., resin transfer molding, fiber preforms deform when mold is closed. This deformation of fiber preform due to mold closure causes inconsistencies to the permeability, and thus has a negative impact on resin flow. The variations in resin flow cause defects, e.g., dry spots and voids, resin-rich surfaces/zones, fiber distortions, which result in large variations in the product dimensions and mechanical performance. Thus, good understanding of the effects of process parameters on the deformation of fiber preform is necessary for developing high-quality affordable composites. An experimental study on the deformation of fiber preform for making angle-shaped composite parts is presented in this paper. The effects of enclosed angle, radius, fiber volume fraction, and stacking sequence were studied efficiently using design of experiments (DOE). Two open-channel molds were designed and fabricated for varying the design parameters. In each experiment run, the fiber preform was loaded into the mold and the mold was closed. The gaps formed between the fiber preform and inner mold surface were visually inspected by a microscope, and quantitatively characterized. The data were then analyzed. It is shown from the experiments that gaps occur at two locations: at corner radii and beside corner radii. The following conclusions are drawn from this experimental study: (1) fiber volume fraction is the most significant factor affecting the gaps at corner radii, and the gap thickness decreases with increasing fiber volume fraction; (2) the gap thickness decreases with increasing radius; and (3) the gap thickness of unidirectional preforms is larger than that of the cross-ply preforms.     

On thermal edge effects in composite laminates

The results of a finite element investigation of the combined influence of edge effects due to mechanical and thermal mismatch in composite laminates with free edges is presented. Results are presented for laminates of unidirectional boron/epoxy symmetrically bonded to sheets of aluminum and titanium. It is shown that interlaminar thermal stresses may be more significant than the interlaminar stresses due to loading only. In addition the stresses due to thermal mismatch may be of the same sign as those due to Poisson's mismatch or they may be of opposite sign depending upon material properties, stacking sequence and direction of loading.The paper concludes with a brief discussion of thermal stresses in all composite laminates.     

Nonlinear bending response of laminated composite spherical shell panel with system randomness subjected to hygro-thermo-mechanical loading

In the present paper, the effect of random system properties on transverse nonlinear central deflection of laminated composite spherical shell panel subjected to hygro-thermo-mechanical loading is investigated. System properties such as material properties, thermal expansion coefficients, hygro-contraction coefficients, load intensity and lamina plate thickness are taken as independent random variables. The higher order shear deformation theory and von-Karman nonlinear kinematics are used for basic mathematical formulation. The elastic and hygrothermal properties of the composite material, which are considered to be dependent on temperature and moisture concentration, have been obtained based on micromechanical modeling. A direct iterative based C⁰ nonlinear finite element method combined with mean centered first-order perturbation technique (FOPT) proposed by present authors for the plate is extended for the spherical shell panel subjected to hygro-thermo-mechanical loading. The influences of random system properties with plate geometry, stacking sequences, support conditions, fiber volume fraction and temperature, and moisture distributions on the response of laminated spherical shell panel are examined in detail. The performance of the proposed approach is validated through comparison with those available in the literature and independent Monte Carlo simulation (MCS).     

基于空耦超声共振法的复合材料测厚技术研究

为解决当前传统超声检测技术对复合材料的检测耦合剂污染和检测效率低等问题,提出空气耦合超声共振法来检测复合材料薄板的厚度,从而确定缺陷的大小。利用 COMSOL 有限元仿真软件对复合材料进行建模,设置不同厚度及不同大小缺陷的物理模型来对比实验,后处理求解并进行快速傅里叶变换,提取谐振频率计算出复合材料的厚度。结果表明,超声共振法可对复合材料进行定性、定量检测;当复合材料的厚度越薄时,超声信号产生的谐振频率越大,则复合材料中所含缺陷范围越广,分层现象越严重;其检测精度可达 0.1 mm 左右,相对误差范围分布在 5% 以下。实验证明了该测厚技术的可靠性,为超薄复合材料板缺陷厚度的测量提供一定的参考和借鉴。     

Thickness Change in Molecularly Thin Lubricant Under Flying Head in Hard Disk Drives

In hard disk drives (HDDs), lubricants on disks are very important material to reduce head and disk wear. Thus, it is necessary to know changes in lubricant thickness to keep lubricant thickness constant on rotating disks. For this purpose, we have to know changes in lubricant thickness during HDD operations. We developed a simulation program to simulate changes in lubricant thickness during HDD operations numerically. First, we had simulated the changes in lubricant thickness of 10-nm-thick non-polar lubricant film under a flying head. The result corresponded to a reported experimental result. In recent HDDs, a lubricant thickness has become molecularly thin and lubricants with polar end groups have been used. In molecularly thin polar lubricants, diffusion depends on their thickness and their viscosity becomes very high. Next, we simulated the change in the lubricant thickness of 2-nm-thick polar lubricant film considering the effects of lubricant initial thickness. The simulated results showed that the changes were very small in 2-nm-thick lubricant film, but they were not confirmed with the experiment. In this paper, experimental results of the change in the thickness of molecularly thin non-polar and polar lubricants under a flying head were first measured. The simulations that took account of thickness-dependent diffusion and thin-film viscosity were then performed with the simulation parameters based on the experiments. The simulated results of lubricant distribution were in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Ultrasonic characterization on sequences of CFRP composites based on modeling and motorized system

Composites are a material class for which nondestructive material property characterization is as important as flaw detection. Laminates of fiber reinforced composites often possess strong in-plane elastic anisotropy attributable to the specific fiber orientation and layup sequence when waves are propagating in the thickness direction of composite laminates. So the layup orientation greatly influences its properties in a composite laminate. It could result in the part being rejected and discarded if the layup orientation of a ply is misaligned. A nondestructive technique would be very beneficial, which could be used to test the part after curing and requires less time than the optical test. Therefore a ply-by-ply vector decomposition model has been developed, simplified, and implemented for composite laminates fabricated from unidirectional plies. This model decomposes the transmission of a linearly polarized ultrasound wave into orthogonal components through each ply of a laminate. Also in order to develop these methods into practical inspection tools, motorized system have been developed for different measurement modalities for acquiring ultrasonic signals as a function of in-plane angle. It is found that high probability shows between the model and tests developed in characterizing cured layups of the laminates.     

2D shape optimization of leaf-type crossed flexure pivot springs for minimum stress

Leaf-spring crossed flexure pivots are used in an increasingly large number of applications, many of which require the fatigue life and/or the rotational capability of the pivots to be maximized. Since these two qualities are determined by the endurance limit or the yield stress of the leaf-springs’ material, maximizing them will necessarily require reducing the stress levels arising in the aforementioned springs during operation. Partly for the sake of simplicity, partly due to manufacturing constraints, constant thickness leaf-springs have traditionally been used in crossed flexure pivots. However, minimizing stress simply by increasing the length or by decreasing the thickness of the leaf-springs is often not viable, either due to spatial constraints or to the attendant degradation in spring performance. This paper investigates the scope for stress reduction through shape optimization of the leaf-springs. To this end, a procedure combining a linear strain energy formulation, a parametric thickness profile definition and a series of optimization algorithms is employed. The resulting optimized thickness profiles are proven to be not only independent of the angular rotation at which the pivot operates, but also linearly scalable to leaf-springs of any length, minimum thickness and width. Validated using non-linear finite element analysis, the results show very significant reductions in relative maximum stress, of up to as much as 24% in the case of some pivot configurations. The optimized profiles and their corresponding constant thickness counterparts are also compared in terms of stiffness, strain energy and parasitic motion characteristics. It is concluded that shape optimization offers great potential for extending the fatigue life and/or rotational range of crossed flexure pivots.     

铺层顺序和垫板对复合材料层压板钉拉脱性能影响分析

机械连接是飞机复合材料结构最重要的连接方式之一,其面外拉脱性能直接影响结构机械连接的强度.本文针对常用的材料和铺层形式,设计相应的试样,开展了铺层方式、材料及金属垫板对复合材料层压板面外拉脱性能影响的试验研究,获取了相应的失效形式.试验结果表明,铺层比例为(40/50/10)具有更高的钉拉脱性能;对复合材料层压板增加金...