Simulation-based Design: a Case Study in Combining Optimization Methodologies for Angle-Ply Composite Laminates

Over the last decades, the intense need for more robust and lightweight structures, together with the dramatic improvement of computational power, had, as a result, the introduction of simulations in the traditional product development. As a simulation, it is considered any computer process that imitates a real system by generating similar responses over time. Simulations allow the designers to create virtual prototypes that can speed up the design phase and, thus, the product development time in total. This design paradigm shift is called simulation-based design (SBD) and includes several simulations and optimization techniques. The most notable of these techniques are; computer-aided design (CAD), finite element analysis (FEA), topology optimization (TO), and parametric optimization (PO). A combined SBD methodology, including these techniques, is presented here. This methodology is a two-stage optimization process. During the first stage, traditional compliance TO using the SIMP approach was conducted, while at the second, a PO with an evolutionary algorithm was applied. The presented methodology is focused on the optimization of composite laminates. In particular, an angle-ply laminated beam made by carbon fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) was used as a case study and optimized both for its topology and fibers’ direction. The results of this research are presented and tested using a commercial example. The suggested methodology resulted in a lighter and more robust design solution. These design solutions can be constructed either by conventional manufacturing processes (CMP) or by additive manufacturing (AM). Designers looking for interesting and lightweight composited structures can exploit the results found in this paper. The implemented process can easily be modified in order to cover any possible optimization of FRP products.