Experimental–numerical study on minimizing impact induced damage in laminated composites under low-velocity impact

In this study, an experimentally validated numerical analysis was performed toward optimization of stacking sequence in multidirectional laminated composites subjected to low-velocity impact. For this purpose, an optimization program was developed by integrating finite element method and Multi Objective Genetic Algorithm using modeFRONTIER. In this regard, three objective functions were defined; one, based on Hashin failure theory and two others based on interlaminar shear and tensile stresses. These objective functions were aimed to be optimized through tailoring ply angles with special focus on minimizing impact-induced damage. The obtained results indicated that the proposed optimization method is an effective tool for optimizing stacking sequence of laminated fiber-reinforced composite materials.