Author(s)

Roberto Spallino, Santi Rizzo

Abstract

The results of a study on the discrete structural optimization of laminated composite plates are presented. Evolution strategies, in their multi-membered variant, are used to solve the optimal design problem. The objective of the design is weight minimization, under constraints on the mechanical behavior of the structure. Using a parallel drawn from biological evolution, laminated plates are driven to the optimal solution using random operators, like mutation and recombination. A comparison of the result with those obtained by other methods is presented. The robustness of the method and the high computational cost of the feasibility check, performed by means of the Finite Element Method, is pointed out. 1 Introduction The structural optimization problem of laminated composite plates takes sign

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