Application of genetic algorithms to optimal tailoring of composite materials

Composite materials tailoring refers to the concurrent manipulation of the materials composition and internal architecture to achieve the desired properties. Since the wide variety of material combinations, reinforcement geometries and architectures to choose from poses a bewildering task of selection, a systematic approach to optimal materials tailoring is of much practical importance in the engineering design of composites, and is addressed in this article. The study presents an optimal tailoring framework based on the combinatorial optimization technique of genetic algorithms in conjunction with a property model base consisting of analytical microstructure-property relationships. Optimum designs are reported for case studies involving property requirements that ave typical of selected practical applications. The present approach is systematically compared with the alternative approach based on the simulated annealing technique reported previously by the authors. The comparative studies are used to draw general inferences concerning the relative merits of both these approaches in the context of optimal composite materials tailoring. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .