Dynamic analysis of doubly curved composite panels using lamination parameters and spectral-Tchebychev method

Efficient modeling and optimization techniques are required to overcome the high design complexity and computational costs concerning the engineering of composite structures. In this paper, a modeling framework for the dynamic analysis of doubly curved composite panels is developed. Lamination parameters are used to characterize the stiffness properties of the laminate, and the responses are calculated through the two-dimensional spectral-Tchebychev method. The proposed framework combines the computational efficiency advantages of both lamination parameters formulation and spectral-Tchebychev method which is extended for dynamic analysis of curved composite laminates. Compared to the finite element method, the developed model significantly decreases the computation duration, thereby leading to analysis speed-ups up to 40 folds. In the case studies, fundamental frequency contours for the doubly curved composite panels are obtained in lamination parameters space for the first time. The results show that, unlike flat or singly curved laminates, the maximum frequency design points for doubly curved panels can be inside the feasible region of lamination parameters requiring multiple layer angles. The fundamental mode shapes for the maximum frequency designs are also computed to investigate the influence of panel curvatures on the vibration patterns, which can exhibit mode switching phenomenon. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.