PSO algorithm for fundamental frequency optimization of fiber metal laminated panels

In current study, natural frequency response of fiber metal laminated (FML) fibrous composite panels is optimized under different combination of the three classical boundary conditions using particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and finite strip method (FSM). The ply angles, numbers of layers, panel length/width ratios, edge conditions and thickness of metal sheets are chosen as design variables. The formulation of the panel is based on the classical laminated plate theory (CLPT), and numerical results are obtained by the semi-analytical finite strip method. The superiority of the PSO algorithm is demonstrated by comparing with the simple genetic algorithm.