Simultaneous cost and weight minimization of postbuckled composite panels under combined compression and shear

Abstract.An approach is presented to determine designs that simultaneously minimize cost and weight for post-buckled stiffened composite panels. First, a gradient-based optimization method is used to separately determine the minimum cost and weight designs for different stiffener types and spacings. The minimum cost and weight designs are then combined to create the Pareto set of optimum designs. The design that simultaneously minimizes cost and weight is selected from the Pareto set as the point that is closest to the individual minimum cost and weight designs given the relative importance of cost and weight. It was found that, for the assumptions made in this analysis, the overall optimum design corresponds to a panel with angle (L) stiffeners. This was true for both the case where cost and weight are considered of equal importance, and the case where cost is considered twice as important as the weight.