Derivation and application of blending constraints in lamination parameter space for composite optimisation

The present paper proposes a set of blending constraints expressed in lamination parameter space, applicable during the continuous optimisation of composite structures. Thicknesses and ply orientations of large composite structures are often locally optimised in response to unequal spatial load distribution. During this process, ensuring structural continuity is essential in order to achieve designs ready to be manufactured. Single step stacking sequence optimisations relying on evolutionary algorithms to enforce continuity, through the application of blending rules, are prone to the curse of dimensionality. By contrast, multi-step optimisation strategies including a continuous sub-step can optimise composite structures with reasonable computational effort. However, the discrepancies between continuous and discrete optimisation step result in performance loss during stacking sequence retrieval. By deriving and applying blending constraints during the continuous optimisation, this paper aim is to reduce the performance loss observed between optimisation levels. The first part of this paper is dedicated to the derivation of blending constraints. The proposed constraints are then successfully applied to a benchmark blending problem in the second part of this paper. Numerical results demonstrate the achievement of near-optimal easy-to-blend continuous designs in a matter of seconds. Keywords: Composite materials, Blending, Lamination parameters, Optimisation, Variable