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Abstract

A calculation method for designing laminated plates with required stiffness properties is presented. The properties to be achieved are characterized by 12 lamination parameters. An objective function linking the 12 required and computed parameters is then minimized with respect to the ply angles to obtain optimal stacking sequences. The problem of designing uncoupled laminated plates with concomitant bending and in-plane isotropy is then addressed as an example. Approximate solutions with 12 plies of equal thickness and more are found. It is verified that they achieve the specified properties with a reasonable accuracy. This number of 12 plies is much less than other exact or approximate results available in the literature.

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A Procedure for Designing Laminated Plates with Required Stiffness Properties. Application to Thin Quasi-Isotropic Quasi-Homogeneous Uncoupled Laminates

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