Optimum Design of Hybrid Fibrous Laminated Composite Plates Subject to Axial Compression

A flexural lamination parameter diagram of hybrid fibrous laminates is constructed and a new analytical design method is proposed to determine the optimum lay-up of hybrid laminated plates subject to axial compression. The object of the design problem is to minimize the cost of the hybrid plates which have a composite surface with high performance and high cost, and a composite core with low cost, under the constraint that the plate has a given buckling strength. The optimum lay-up can be obtained from the material constants of the two kinds of unidirectional composites used, the plate aspect ratio, and the constraint on the buckling load.