Stacking Sequence Optimization

Composite plies are shuffled to determine the optimal stacking sequence for the given design optimization problem while also satisfying additional manufacturing constraints.

Defined on the DSHUFFLE card, such as:
  • The stacking sequence should not contain any section with more than a given number of successive plies of same orientation.
  • The 45° and -45° orientations should be paired together.
  • The cover and/or core sections should follow a predefined stacking sequence.

Using the three-phase process, composite plies are generated from running a discrete ply bundle sizing optimization (through TMANUF) in phase 2. Additionally, an input file for phase 3, i.e. stacking sequence optimization, is automatically generated from phase 2.

An efficient proprietary technique is developed to allow the process to evaluate a huge number of stacking combinations from both performance and manufacturability perspectives.