Transverse shear effects in discrete optimization of laminated compressed cylindrical shells

This paper presents optimization problems of cylindrical shells subjected to buckling and ply failure constraints. The objective is to maximize failure load. The layers are assumed to be oriented at 0 degrees, 90 degrees and +/-45 degrees, so that the locations of plies in the laminate (3(N) variables) are design variables. The aim of the present work is to discuss the influence of various formulations of governing equations on optimal solutions including the effects of transverse shear deformations and to present the use of different variants of genetic algorithms, i.e. different selection, mutation and crossing. A series of numerical examples illustrates the discussed problem. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.