Abstract
This paper examines stacking-sequence optimization design for improving the transonic flutter limit To reduce the required computational cost, application of the Fractal Branch and Bound Method is attempted This method is proposed by the authors for the stacking-sequences optimization of laminated composites in order to maximize the buckling load, and it demands approximation of a design space with a response surface comprising quadratic polynomials for pruning branches of stacking sequences. To approximate with appropriate accuracy the discontinuities of the design space of transonic flutter due to flutter mechanism change between the classical flutter and the Limit Cycle Oscillation, a combinatorial approximation method using the modified response surface method is proposed The applicability of the proposed stacking-sequence optimization procedure using the Fractal Branch and Bound Method is demonstrated by applying it to the stacking-sequence optimization design of an AGARD 445.6 standard wing. The results indicated that the method was applied successfully and that therefore a practical optimal stacking sequence could be obtained with significantly low computational cost
