Adjustment of residual stresses in unsymmetric fiber-reinforced composites using genetic algorithms

During the manufacturing process of multilayered fiber-reinforced composites with variable fiber orientations, residual stresses build up in these composites due to the directional expansion of single unidirectionally reinforced layers. Depending on the laminate lay-up, the inhomogeneous residual stresses, which are caused by thermal effects, moisture absorption, and chemical shrinkage, can lead to large multistable out-of-plane deformations. Instead of avoiding these curvatures, they can be advantageously used for technical applications following the near-net-shape technology. In order to adjust the deformations to the technical requirements, genetic algorithms in combination with a nonlinear calculation method have been developed, which can purposefully adapt the laminate lay-up depending on the loading and process parameters.