Optimal design of fibre reinforced membrane structures

• A design problem of finding an optimally stiff membrane structure by selecting one–dimensional fiber reinforcements is formulated and solved. The membrane model is derived in a novel manner from a particular three-dimensional linear elastic orthotropic model by appropriate assumptions. The design problem is given in the form of two minimization statements. After finite element discretization, the separate treatment of each of the two statements follows from classical results and methods of structural optimization: the stiffest orientation of reinforcing fibers coincides with principal stresses and the separate selection of density of fibers is a convex problem that can be solved by optimality criteria iterations. Numerical solutions are shown for two particular configurations. The first for a statically determined structure and the second for a statically undetermined one. The latter shows related but non-unique solutions. 

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Matematik -- Beräkningsmatematik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Mathematics -- Computational Mathematics (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Teknisk mekanik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Applied Mechanics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Design optimization

Fiber reinforcement

Membrane

Fiber reinforced materials

Fibers

Membrane structures

Membranes

Reinforcement

Structural optimization

Fibre reinforced

Finite-element discretization

Membrane modeling

Non-unique solutions

Numerical solution

Optimality criteria

Reinforcing fibers

Structural design

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)