Dispersed-ply design and optimization to improve the brittle flexural behaviour of composite laminates

This work aims to improve the flexural behaviour of unidirectional fibre-reinforced laminates by means coupling an optimization procedure for quasi-isotropic configurations with design space opened dispersed-ply orientations. The approach consists finding suitable alternatives traditional (with fibre orientations limited 0°, ±45∘, and 90°), while maintaining their stiffness characteristics. strategy isolates interlaminar response as objective function that is optimized behaviour. To this end, a modified Ant Colony Optimization was implemented geared towards optimizing stress profile, allowing plies at every possible 5° orientation, ultimate goal delaying delamination. validate approach, reference laminate derived fully dispersed designs were experimentally tested. correlated responses show it not resistance. However, typical brittleness can be into pseudo-ductile