Abstract
Methods for designing laminated composites which have required in-plane and/or flexural stiffness or have the maximum buckling strength are reviewed.
The characteristics of the parameters which were first introduced by Tsai and Hahn as geometric factors to evaluate the stiffness of composites and are referred to as lamination parameters in this paper are examined and it is shown that these parameters can play an important role in material design problem as well. The key feature of the method lies in the clarification of the feasible region of the lamination parameters. Design specifications or constraints in material design problem can be graphically represented in this feasible region, and optimum fiber orientation angle and stacking sequence can be obtained easily by using lamination parameter diagram.
