Open Access

ARTICLE

Design Optimization of Composite Cylindrical Shells under Uncertainty

by B. Kriegesmann¹, R. Rolfes¹, E. L. Jansen¹, I. Elishakoff², A. Kling³

1 Leibniz University Hannover, Institute of Structural Analysis, Germany
2 Florida Atlantic University, Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, USA
3 German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems, Germany

Computers, Materials & Continua 2012, 32(3), 177-200. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmc.2012.032.177

Abstract

Four different approaches for the design of axially compressed cylindrical shells are presented, namely (1) the knockdown factor (KDF) concept, (2) the single perturbation load approach, (3) a probabilistic design procedure and (4) the convex anti-optimization approach. The different design approaches take the imperfection sensitivity and the scatter of input parameters into account differently. In this paper, the design of a composite cylinder is optimized considering the ply angles as design variables. The KDF concept provides a very conservative design load and in addition an imperfection sensitive design, whereas the other approaches lead to a significantly less conservative design load and to a less imperfection sensitive design configuration. The ways in which imperfection sensitivity is treated by the different approaches and how these influence the optimal design configuration is discussed.

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Keywords

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