Optimal stiffness design of composite laminates for a train carbody by an expert system and enumeration method

This paper expounds the development of an expert system for the optimal stiffness design of composite laminates subjected to the various strain and rules constraints. The optimal stacking sequence and total ply numbers are obtained by means of an enumeration method, an expert system shell and the classical laminate theory. The optimal stacking sequence combination for the application of interest is drawn from the discrete ply angles and design rules stored in the knowledge base of the expert system. Results of this study showed good agreements with previous studies. The total number of plies in the optimized laminate could be reduced when compared with non-optimized laminates possibly rendering an economical advantage.